It Took College Student Just 4 Weeks To End Transit Authority’s No Guns Rule

An Iowa State University student needed just 23 days to get the city of Ames to end a policy banning guns on its transit system.

Natalie Gibson, an animal science major, sued Ames on Oct. 13, saying its gun ban on CyRide buses was a violation of Iowa’s firearms preemption law, according to the Iowa Capitol Dispatch. In a Nov. 5 memo, the Ames Transit Board announced it was ending the policy following a unanimous vote, the Iowa Capitol Dispatch reported.

“We do not have further comment on the Board’s decision due to pending litigation on the subject,” CyRide Director Barbara Neal told the Des Moines-area outlet.

The Iowa Firearms Coalition, which backed the legal action, noted in a Monday release that it had warned Ames that the CyRide policy was in violation of the state’s preemption law in October 2025, a year before Gibson sued.

“IFC notified the City of Ames in October 2025 that CyRide’s firearms prohibition violated Iowa law. Despite acknowledging the statute, the City maintained its restriction,” the gun-rights organization said in its release. “Nearly a year later, Gibson, a longtime Second Amendment advocate who helped advance youth handgun legislation as a child, took legal action.”

Gibson, a competitive shooter, had helped secure the passage of House File 517 in 2017 alongside her sister Meredith, which allowed for children to use handguns under parental supervision, according to a Friday release by the Iowa Firearms Coalition.

Iowa’s firearms preemption law reserves most authority over firearm regulation to the state and limits the ability of cities, counties and townships to enact their own firearm ordinances. Under Iowa Code section 724.28, local governments generally may not regulate the ownership, possession, carrying, transfer, transportation, modification, registration or licensing of firearms when those activities are otherwise lawful under state law, and ordinances that conflict with the statute are considered void.

Individuals may seek declaratory and injunctive relief, damages, attorney fees and court costs against political subdivisions that violate the statute, while local governments generally are prohibited from regulating the storage of firearms or ammunition. Limited exceptions permit restrictions in certain government buildings if officials provide weapons screening and armed security.

More broadly, state firearms preemption laws are intended to ensure that firearm regulations remain consistent statewide, and the National Rifle Association argues that such laws help prevent otherwise law-abiding gun owners from inadvertently violating varying local ordinances while traveling within a state.