The East Ridge City Council on Thursday night reversed course and voted to uphold a ban on guns in city parks.
Councilman Larry Sewell last month had made a motion to keep the gun ban, but had not gotten a second.
This time he again made the motion, and Councilman Tom Card seconded.
Also voting in favor were Mayor Mike Steele and Councilman Brent Lambert. Denny Manning was out sick.
The vote came after City Manager William Whitson said he recommended keeping guns out of parks. He said the city had just spent $1 million on new lights at Camp Jordan and would likely lose a number of ball tournaments if guns were allowed.
It also came after citizens spoke vigorously on both sides of the issue.
Councilman Lambert said, "I have put a tremendous amount of thought into this. There are extremely good arguments on both sides."
Councilman Card asked if there could be a later citizen referendum on the issue. City Attorney John Anderson said the council did not have authority to call such a referendum.
Kevin Wright, who oversees the baseball and softball program at Camp Jordan, said allowing guns at the park would be "a very, very, very bad idea. This is a recipe for disaster."
He said a number of groups would no longer bring their teams to East Ridge. He asked council members, "If a child is killed, could you defend your vote."
Anthony Woodson said he was hit by a stray bullet when he was seven years old. He said an individual with a handgun permit could accidentally drop a gun at the park and it could go off with children nearby.
Steve Byrd said police officers cannot be at all places. He said, "We have the right to protect ourselves at any time and at any place."
Benjamin Todd said, "We're not criminals. We're law-abiding citizens."