MTAS and CTAS have both advised the cities and counties that the law requires all the affected legislative bodies to pass the ban. All is a wee bit different than 'majority' of those bodies.

Cue the AG and watch for a special called meeting later this month.

Also, the KNS's crack Blount County reporter has a story on the front page saying it will be on tonight's agenda.

http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090820/BREAKING/908209983

Watch closely because Blount County's refusal to even vote on the ban will probably cause the bans in Alcoa and Maryville to fall to the wayside.

Alcoa can say " we tried.."

Maryville can say "we tried.."

Blount County Commission says "we can't find which end to wipe."

MTAS

In the case of parks jointly owned or operated by two or more municipalities or counties, every governing body must adopt a resolution to effect the prohibition.

CTAS states the same thing. Blount County, Alcoa and Maryville set up Parks and Rec Commission to jointly operate all the parks. That was back around 1969.

If you see a way around meeting the "every governing body must adopt to effect the prohibition" please explain that to me.

I guess now we have to figure out who in local Blount County government is the most incompetent, the mayor, county commission members, or the county mayor's attorney.

Jerry Cunningham, 8/20/2009 MDT:

"Guns are already illegal based on the majority vote of Maryville and Alcoa," County Mayor Jerry Cunningham said."... Maryville and Alcoa have already opted out of that thing. That constitutes the majority. It just takes a majority where they are jointly operated. The ban is in effect."

Jerry Cunningham, 8/21/2009 MDT:

People with handgun permits will be allowed to take their weapons into county parks starting Sept. 1 after conflicting legal advice led the Blount County Commission to postpone a decision on opting out of the new law.

"That's what the law says," County Mayor Jerry Cunningham said Thursday.

Rod Goddard, attorney for the county mayor, 8/20/2009 MDT:

Rob Goddard, attorney for the county mayor, said that Public Chapter 428 contains language that enables the ban with the votes by the cities.

Rod Goddard, attorney for the county mayor, 8/21/2009 MDT:

"I assumed that the resolution passed by the cities of Maryville and Alcoa was broad enough to encompass the parks jointly operated by the city of Maryville, the city of Alcoa and Blount County," Goddard wrote

County Commission members, except maybe for Mike Lewis:
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............

Last night at the "Agenda" Workshop the BC Commission voted not to send Lewis' bill to the full commission for consideration.

No word from the county/city schools on how they will deal with this.
No word from the cities on whether their bans will stay in place or not.