ISU student sues Ames over gun ban on campus buses
An Iowa State University student and longtime Second Amendment advocate is suing the city of Ames, arguing that its ban on carrying firearms aboard Cy-Ride buses violates Iowa's firearm preemption law.
Snapshot
Natalie Gibson, who holds a valid Iowa permit to carry, filed the lawsuit in state court after Ames continued barring firearms on Cy-Ride buses despite a warning from the Iowa Firearms Coalition that the policy was unlawful. The case centers on whether buses passing through Iowa State University property can be treated as off-limits to lawfully carried firearms.
Key points
- The dispute: Ames says firearms aren't allowed on Cy-Ride buses because the routes cross Iowa State University property, where campus policy restricts weapons.
- Gibson's argument: Her petition states that Iowa code contains no provision banning firearms on roadways within or near campuses, so the university policy can't override her permit.
- State law cited: Iowa's preemption statute bars local governments from regulating lawful firearm carrying, and nonprofessional permits are valid statewide except where state or federal law specifically prohibits carry.
- Constitutional backdrop: Iowa voters approved a 2022 constitutional amendment making the right to keep and bear arms "fundamental" and subject to strict scrutiny, shifting the burden to the government to justify restrictions.
- Possible ripple effect: Because Gibson also challenges ISU's own weapons policy, a win could bolster future legal challenges to the university's broader concealed carry restrictions.
Quick take
Cam Edwards of Bearing Arms writes that he's glad to see Gibson, who he's followed since her early teenage activism, still pressing the issue, and calls policies that block lawful carry on public transit "an outright infringement" in his view. Whether a state court agrees could matter well beyond one bus route.
Read the full story: bearingarms.com