Ames Drops CyRide Bus Gun Ban 23 Days After Iowa State Student's Preemption Suit

The City of Ames dropped its ban on firearms aboard CyRide buses on November 5, 2026, 23 days after Iowa State University student Natalie Gibson sued the city under Iowa’s firearm preemption statute. The Ames Transit Agency Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change CyRide’s policies “insofar as they prohibit the possession of firearms on transit vehicles” and to post a notice that carrying a firearm on the Iowa State campus could violate university policy and state law, Transit Director Barbara Neal wrote in an email quoted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch on November 9.

Neal’s memorandum to employees the same day says CyRide “has updated its policy regarding firearms on transit vehicles to align with Iowa law, effective immediately,” and that 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.” Employees are to presume a passenger is complying with Iowa firearms law unless the passenger exhibits unsafe or threatening behavior, and “merely carrying a firearm is not to be considered unsafe or threatening behavior.” Drivers are told not to ask for permits, direct how a gun is carried or stored, handle a passenger’s firearm, or refuse boarding, ask a passenger to leave or call dispatch or police over lawful possession alone. The memorandum is not posted online. The Iowa Firearms Coalition, which announced the change on November 6 and issued a release on November 9, and USA Carry, which reviewed the board agenda and the memorandum, published its operative language, and Neal wrote that the change “does not alter our expectations regarding appropriate passenger conduct or our established procedures for responding to emergencies.”

CyRide’s rider page no longer lists firearms among the items not allowed on buses. In their place sits a one-line notice: “Be aware that possession of a firearm on the Iowa State University campus may violate state law and university policy.” The board took up the policy after a closed session under Iowa Code section 21.5(1)(c), which lets a public body meet privately on pending litigation, and its background memo said legal counsel had reviewed the existing policy and prepared the revisions.

Gibson, a junior who holds an Iowa nonprofessional permit to carry, filed her petition in Story County District Court on October 13 under Iowa Code section 724.28, which bars cities from regulating the carrying or transportation of firearms that is lawful under state law and sets damages of $1,000 to $2,500 a day, capped at $25,000, for a knowing violation after written notice. The coalition had warned the city in October 2025 that the ban conflicted with the statute, and the city had defended the ban on the ground that its buses travel through university property where firearms are prohibited. The lawsuit continues. “More work remains on the lawsuit, but this is an important step forward,” her attorney, Alan Ostergren, said in an email to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, adding that the city “only paid attention after a lawsuit was filed.” Neal declined further comment because of the pending litigation.

The coalition’s November 9 release said the Legislature added statutory damages to section 724.28 in 2025 and that local governments “cannot simply replace prohibited ordinances with restrictive policies and disregard state law.” It asked Iowans to report other local restrictions on employment, public buildings, parks, libraries, publicly owned hospitals and event centers.

No hearing date had been set in Gibson v. City of Ames as of November 9, 2026, and the policy change does not resolve her damages claim, which remains before the Story County court.