DEL MAR (NEWS 8) – The Crossroads of the West gun show is a popular draw and big moneymaker for the Del Mar Fairgrounds, but gun control advocates are calling for an end to the shows in the wake of recent school shootings.
On Tuesday, second amendment advocates delivered 3,000 letters to the fair board in support of keeping the gun show.
The gun show is held five times a year on the fairgrounds and draws thousands of participants and generates some estimated half-a-million dollars a year.
The show has also drawn fierce opposition from community members who in the wake of more school shootings, including last week’s in Santa Fe, Texas, have been calling for the Del Mar Fairgrounds to ban the gun show.
Those who gathered outside last weekend’s gun show also had their say at Tuesday’s board meeting.
“You must cease allowing this company top bring into our community on public property - vendors with large amounts of ammunition and firearms even once a year. Shame on you that it's five times a year,” said a critic of the gun show.
Supporters of the gun show, which has been held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for nearly three decades now, counter that the gun show is about safety and education, as well as a family-friendly event.
“They're frustrated with crime and they're frustrated with criminals. They are pointing their frustration at a gun show that has absolutely nothing to do with that,” said a supporter of the gun show.
Earlier this year, the Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach City Councils each passed resolutions in support of banning gun shows on the Del Mar Fairgrounds.