Iowa College Student Fights for Her Right to Carry – Bearing Arms

Natalie Gibson has been a shooter and Second Amendment advocate for most of her life. I remember interviewing her and her older sister Meredith at an NRA Annual Meeting about a decade ago, when Natalie was younger than ten. She and her sister were already grassroots activists who had lobbied lawmakers in their home state of Iowa, advocating for repeal of a law that made it illegal for kids under the age of 14 to use a handgun, even under adult supervision. 

Natalie is now a student at Iowa State University, and she’s continuing her Second Amendment activism. This time around, though, she’s using the legal arena to make a change. 

An Iowa State University student is suing the city of Ames, arguing she should be allowed to carry her firearm while riding Cy-Ride buses.

Natalie Gibson claims she has a valid Iowa permit to carry, but the campus bus service prohibits firearms onboard. 

Court documents state that the Iowa Firearms Coalition warned Ames last year that its firearm ban on Cy-Ride buses violated state law.

The city responded, according to the lawsuit, saying firearms are not allowed on Cy-Ride buses because the buses travel on Iowa State University property, where firearms are prohibited.

Gibson filed her lawsuit in state court, not federal, and alleges that the city’s prohibition on firearms violates Iowa’s preemption law, which states: 

A political subdivision of the state shall not enact an ordinance, motion, resolution, policy, or amendment regulating the ownership, possession, carrying, legal transfer, lawful transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms, firearms attachments, or other weapons when the ownership, possession, carrying, transfer, transportation, or modification is otherwise lawful under the laws of this state.

Ames contends that since its public buses enter ISU property, carrying a firearm on board wouldn’t be “lawful transportation,” but Gibson’s complaint contends that the university’s policy is less than an outright ban.

No policies on barring firearms from roadways within or near university campuses exist in Iowa code, the petition stated, nor do provisions prohibiting firearms on campus. ISU’s firearm policy states that “the possession or use of weapons is prohibited on campus and in the course of university-related activities unless authorized through the firearms and other weapons application process.”

The petition stated the university policy conflicts with Iowa code on nonprofessional carry permits, which maintains the permits are valid anywhere in the state except where carrying a firearm is barred by state or federal law. 

… “The policies of Iowa State University regarding firearms on its campus cannot justify a prohibition on the lawful carry of firearms on the CyRide bus system as those (buses) pass through the campus,” the petition stated.

Four years ago, Iowa voters overwhelmingly approved amending the state’s constitution to include stronger language surrounding the right to keep and bear arms; affirming its status as a “fundamental individual right” and requiring that “any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.” 

Under that legal standard, the law in question is presumed unconstitutional, and the burden shifts to the government to prove its action is necessary. What’s interesting about this lawsuit is that while the city of Ames is the defendant, Gibson also contends that Iowa State’s policy is at odds with state statute. If Gibson is successful in her challenge, it’s quite possible that the decision could also have an impact on the university’s policy as well… or at least provide some support to another legal challenge aimed directly at the general prohibition of lawful concealed carry on campus. 

I’m glad to see that Natalie Gibson is still fighting for her Second Amendment rights, and I hope she’s successful in her litigation. Policies that prevent folks from exercising their right to bear arms on public transportation are an outright infringement in my book. It’s a shame that a lawsuit is even necessary, but if that’s what it takes then so be it. 

Editor’s Note: Gun owners like Natalie Gibson are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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