Cedar Rapids council says cab ordinance should stay as is on guns – silent

CEDAR RAPIDS - City officials toyed with the idea in recent months about changing the city ordinance to allow guns in taxicabs.

Last night, those officials and the City Council said the correct approach for the city was to leave the city ordinance as it is on guns and cabs - it is now silent on the issue - and to defer to state law. State law allows qualified people who secure permits to carry guns.

City Attorney Jim Flitz told the City Council that the city can't enact a gun statute that makes guns in cabs illegal if state law states it is legal.

In recent days, Mayor Ron Corbett has said cab companies may choose to develop their own policies on guns on their property.

A Cedar Rapids taxi driver, Cathy Stickley, 54, was stabbed to death in late April while on duty.

A cabdriver suggested to the council last night that the public belief that cabdrivers might be carrying guns “might have saved Cathy's life.”

Another speaker thought protective glass between the rear passenger seat and the cabdriver might provide better protection than a gun.

In the end, the council vote on several changes to the city's cab ordinance failed for now. It needed five votes to pass, only five of the nine council members were present, and council member Chuck Swore voted against the changes because of an increase in the amount of liability insurance cabdrivers would need to carry.