Passion about protecting fellow citizens swayed Mishawaka City Council to vote 5-4 against a weapons ban ordinance.

The ban was actually proposed by Mishawaka Mayor Jeff Rea and City Attorney Cory Hamel.

It would've prohibited all weapons from four buildings frequented by the public: Mishawaka City Hall, the police station, the Battel Center, and Mishawaka Utilities main building.

Weapons were defined as guns, knives, explosives, and chemical sprays.

Rea and Hamel were the only two people out of a large crowd to speak in favor of the proposed ordinance.

Hamel says he was concerned for city employees' safety when a man walked into city hall a few weeks ago with a gun in a holster with two extension clips, in addition to a billy club.

Hamel says he never threatened anyone, but he and Rea say this is a warning sign.

The rest of the crowd, including State Representative Jackie Walorski, say taking away our Hoosier given right to protect would mean putting our lives on the line.

A question asked by Len Grimel, one of the many people who took the stand, had the majority of the crowd raising their hands. “How many people have a license to carry? Just raise your hand. You're the most protected city council in the state of Indiana.”

State Representative Jackie Walorski says this is one of the many reasons she's proud to be a Hoosier.

She always has her gun with her, even at the State House, but a new sign on the front door of Mishawaka City Hall forced her to put it away, even without an ordinance passed.

Walorski says, “We have a Castle Doctrine that says wherever your castle is -- house, car -- and you have a threat on your personal space, you have the opportunity in this state to defend yourself.”

Brad Foster says the reason he's standing here, standing up for Hoosier rights, is because of his right to bear arms.

He says he was brutally beaten, and that in the end, showing his attackers he had a gun saved his life.

Mayor Jeff Rea and City Attorney Cory Hamel, proponents of the weapons ban ordinance, feel city employees would be best protected if only on and off-duty police officers were allowed weapons in busy city buildings.

Hamel says, “What we're trying to do is prevent people who walk in with no agenda, but while he's inside with a gun, gets irate and may do something drastic.”

Walorski and the rest of the crowd told the City Council that taking away law abiding citizens' right to bear arms will do nothing but put everyone in danger.

They say if a person wants to pull out a gun and shoot, they will. It happened at a city hall meeting in Missouri in February. Five people were killed, including police officers and city officials.