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Rockford city park patrons who have gun carry permits can pack heat.

Rockford City Commission voted unanimously Thursday night not to opt out of the new state law, but to allow park users with carry permits to take their guns.

The city, with 847 residents in 3¬½ square miles, bucked the trend of its larger neighbors.

The governing bodies of the two largest cities in the county, Maryville and Alcoa, both unanimously voted to opt out and prohibit guns in public parks.

Greg Benson and wife Diane of Franklin Hill Boulevard, Maryville, were the only citizens to speak out on the issue. They attended the meeting "in support of the Second Amendment."

Greg Benson encouraged the commission not to adopt the resolution that would have prohibited guns in parks. The legislature passed the action to allow guns in parks and gave governmental bodies the right to opt out before Sept. 1.

"That puts the weak, infirm and disabled at the mercy of the predatory," Benson said.

After that, Rockford Vice Mayor Carl Koella III moved and the other two commissioners agreed to move the gun vote to the top of the agenda.

Koella said he went to law school in Chicago and students were told by the administration they would be expelled if they had guns. He said robberies were prevalent in the area, with people getting robbed by criminals even for pizzas.

"I know that doesn't work. I've seen it," he said of banning guns from the general citizenry.

He also said that Washington, D.C., prohibited handguns and had one of the highest crime rates in the country.

Switzerland requires males to maintain firearms in the house because they are all part of the reserves. "They have virtually no burglaries," Koella said.

Rockford Mayor Steve Simon said, "I think it is ridiculous for the city of Rockford to think it could repeal the Second Amendment. Armed citizens have typically stopped more crimes than they have caused."

Commissioner Joe Birdwell said, "I'm a constitutionalist. I feel the right to bear arms is important,"

He said he was surprised to find a Web site that showed the top places to live in the U.S., "all but one of which had carry and pack."

The issue will come before Townsend City Commission Tuesday and before Blount County Commission next Thursday.