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Resident raises legal concern about school-bus lease creating 'gun-free' zone
Summary
A Canton resident urged the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners to review a planned lease of school buses for ACE Academy students, warning the lease could create a ‘roving gun-free zone’ under state law and asking the board to delay action to allow legal review.
At the start of the public-comment period, Thomas Weaver, who identified himself as a Canton resident, told the board he was concerned a proposed lease of Cherokee Area Transit Service (CATS) buses to provide Tuesday and Thursday service for ACE Academy students could create a "roving gun-free zone" under state law for riders who might lawfully carry firearms on other vehicles.
"I'm concerned that the lease would create a roving gun free zone in respect to those buses under state law for Tuesdays and Thursdays," Weaver said, and asked the commission to consider postponing the lease vote to allow staff and the county attorney to confirm whether existing contract language addressed the issue.
County staff responded that the buses would be used exclusively for ACE Academy and not open to the public for those runs; commissioners acknowledged the concern and noted staff and the county attorney had previously discussed contractual language. Weaver asked the board to at least postpone final approval if legal clarity could not be obtained on short notice. The board did not take separate action to postpone at that time; the CATS lease item was later part of the consent approvals discussed in the meeting.
The comment highlights a procedural and liability question the board asked staff to confirm before moving forward with the specific lease implementation details.
