Bill aiming to ban gun shows, sales on all state land hits mark

Those looking to attend a gun show in California will soon have fewer venues to choose from, now that a bill banning the sales of firearms and ammunition on all state-owned properties has been signed into law.

Senate Bill 915 prohibits such sales on state lands, including county fairgrounds, many of which serve as districted agricultural associations under the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture. The legislation passed in the state Assembly and Senate in late June and was signed Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

State Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) — who co-authored the bill with Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) and Assemblyman Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) — called the bill’s passage a clear and decisive step to address a growing threat to safety.

“The state of California will no longer profit off of the sale of firearms on its property,” he said in a statement Thursday. “Our communities and our state will be safer because of this new law.”

The newly passed legislation is a reiteration of an earlier statewide ban, floated by Min in 2020 and later amended to ban gun shows only at the Orange County fairgrounds, represented in Min’s 37th Senate district.

Since January, the Costa Mesa fairgrounds has dropped all negotiations with Utah-based Crossroads of the West, which operated gun shows there for more than 25 years. The company continues to host events on other California fairgrounds, including in Ventura and Kern counties.

Bob Templeton, founder of Crossroads of the West, did not comment for this story, but a page on the company’s website explains all shows are legal, with federal background checks and waiting periods for purchasers.

“Banning gun shows will not reduce crime,” it reads. “Banning gun shows may, in fact, increase crime.”

In Thursday’s joint statement, Limon and Bennet called SB 915 a crucial bill that will enhance gun safety.

“It’s good to see California continuing to take steps both large and small to counter the influence of the gun lobby,” Bennett said.

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