23 Days After an Iowa State Student Sued, Ames Drops Its CyRide Bus Gun Ban and Tells Drivers Carrying Is Not a Threat

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

AMES, IA — CyRide passengers can now carry firearms openly or concealed on Ames city buses. The Ames Transit Agency Board of Trustees approved a revised weapons policy on Thursday, Nov. 5. The same day, Transit Director Barbara Neal sent a memo to all CyRide employees announcing the change, writing that CyRide “has updated its policy regarding firearms on transit vehicles to align with Iowa law, effective immediately.”

Yesterday I covered Iowa State Student With Carry Permit Sues Ames Over CyRide Bus Gun Ban, Seeks Up to $25,000. Natalie Gibson is an ISU junior who holds an Iowa nonprofessional carry permit. She sued the City of Ames on Oct. 13, alleging the bus firearms ban violated state law. Ames had banned firearms on its buses for at least 15 years, pointing to Iowa State’s campus weapons prohibition as justification. What has changed is simple: the ban is gone, 23 days after she filed.

The board’s own agenda shows how that happened. The Nov. 5 meeting opened at 2 p.m. with a motion to go into closed session under Iowa Code § 21.5(1)(c), which allows a public body to meet privately to discuss matters presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent. In plain terms, the board went behind closed doors to talk about the lawsuit before taking up the policy.

The background memo for the policy item did not dress it up. “CyRide’s current weapons policy is the subject of pending litigation,” it reads. “Legal counsel has reviewed the existing policy and prepared proposed revisions.” Counsel was on hand to walk the board through the changes. The Transit Director recommended approving the revised policy as presented.

The result goes further than firearms. According to Neal’s memo, passengers “may legally carry firearms, whether openly or concealed, as well as other items previously listed as prohibited, including BB guns, Tasers, airguns, and similar devices, consistent with applicable law.” The memo states that lawful possession of these items alone is not a reason to deny service or take action against a passenger.

The instructions to drivers are the part that will decide how this works on an actual bus. Employees are told to presume a passenger is complying with Iowa firearms law unless the passenger exhibits unsafe or threatening behavior. The memo then spells it out: “Merely carrying a firearm is not to be considered unsafe or threatening behavior.”

From there, the memo closes off the usual friction points one by one:

• Employees should not request firearm permits.
• Employees should not instruct passengers on how to carry or store firearms.
• Employees should never attempt to touch, handle, or take possession of a passenger’s firearm.
• Employees should not refuse boarding, ask a passenger to leave, or require a passenger to move solely because the passenger is carrying a firearm.
• The lawful presence of a firearm alone does not require notification to dispatch or law enforcement.

More from USA Carry:

• Iowa State Student Who Helped Change Iowa Gun Law as a Kid Sues Ames Over CyRide Bus Gun Ban
• Iowa State Student With Carry Permit Sues Ames Over CyRide Bus Gun Ban, Seeks Up to $25,000
• Concealed Carry Map Update | July 1, 2021
• Maine Quietly Drops Permit Reciprocity With Four States That Still Honor Its Permit, and Nobody Has Said Why
• Denied Over the State on His Driver’s License: NRA Sues Denver, Says Visitors Have No Legal Way to Carry a Gun There

The memo keeps CyRide’s focus on conduct. If a passenger exhibits threatening, violent, or otherwise dangerous behavior, drivers are told not to confront, argue with, or physically engage that person. They are to notify dispatch immediately, contact 911 when appropriate, and stop the bus in a safe location so passengers can exit if necessary. Neal wrote that the change “does not alter our expectations regarding appropriate passenger conduct or our established procedures for responding to emergencies.”

For permit holders who ride CyRide, a crowded bus is its own environment. The mindset does not change: the gun stays holstered and out of the conversation unless there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.

Legislative data provided by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0, legiscan.com).

Read the original story: 23 Days After an Iowa State Student Sued, Ames Drops Its CyRide Bus Gun Ban and Tells Drivers Carrying Is Not a Threat