Weapons Free Meetings Ordinance Passes Final Reading

Casper City Council members in favor of the new ban on deadly weapons in city meetings stood firm in the final vote approving the ordinance change Tuesday night.

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The ordinance change takes effect on the day of publication, December 28th.

The final votes, yea or nea, on the change to city ordinance pertaining to deadly weapons remained the same;  Council members, Powell, Holloway, Schlager, Sarosy and Meyer voted in favor. Goodenough, Bertolio, Brauer and Daubin were the four in dissent.

Comments from the public at the hearing were principally in opposition, but three of four council members said a majority of their constituents had urged them to support the move...Councilman Paul Meyer...

"For every one negative I got nine calls that said 'please, please do this for us'. So it's not a man sitting up hear saying 'this is my call and people are going to have to live with it', I'm here to represent a hundred citizens or a thousand or 54 thousand and I have to respond to their numbers."

Closing comments from both sides of the issue echoed the previous two hearings. Those in favor site, both a need to protect citizens, and to avoid any perceived intimidation.  Those in opposition prefer the decision be made by the Wyoming Legislature and site years of no apparent problem.

Anthony Bouchard, executive director of the Wyoming Gun Owners Association says they're considering legal action, but will wait to see what happens in the next legislative session.

"It's been nationwide, when cities over reach the preemption it's been a normal thing to get it defined. We're also looking at things we can do in the legislature. With that right around the corner that's probably what we'll look at first."

Two amendments were made. One allows for a sunset on the ordinance should the Wyoming legislature lift its ban on weapons in their chambers in Cheyenne and a second removes pocket knives from the deadly weapons description.