The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has joined several other plaintiffs in filing a complaint in federal court challenging the decision by the Del Mar Fair Board in San Diego County, CA, to place overly burdensome requirements on gun shows at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and to impose a moratorium on gun shows while they study the gun show issue.
SAF is joined in the action by B&L Productions, Inc., Crossroads of the West; the California Rifle & Pistol Association, South Bay Rod & Gun Club, Maximum Wholesale/Ammo Brothers and five private citizens. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. They are represented by attorneys C.D.Michel, Anna M. Barvir and Tiffany D. Cheuvront with Michel & Associates in Long Beach and attorney Donald Kilmer in San Jose.
The 41-page complaint alleges that the Del Mar action purposely violates the free speech rights of the plaintiffs and constitutes prior restraint on speech, along with the equal protection of the plaintiffs.
“For more than 30 years,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “Crossroads has operated popular gun shows in California, including at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. These gatherings are more than just an opportunity to exhibit, buy and sell firearms, they are opportunities for like-minded citizens to meet and discuss gun safety, firearms politics and current or proposed firearms laws and regulations.
“But the Del Mar Fair Board has imposed excessive requirements beyond what show promoters and operators must already comply with under the law,” he added. “We believe this was done in an effort to drive out gun shows altogether from the fairgrounds.”
“What’s going on here,” Gottlieb said, “is an attempt to marginalize gun owners and exclude them from the public square. We do not intend to allow that and have joined with our partners in this legal action to prevent it from happening.”
