In Response to Past Weekend’s Senseless Gun Violence, Immediate Action Needed to Keep Communities Safe

Irvine, Calif. — TODAY, Dave Min, UC Irvine law professor and candidate for California’s 37th State Senate District, called for the Governor and Legislature to ban gun shows from the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa.

The Event Center’s governing board continues to approve the use of state-owned land to sell guns and ammunition to the community of Costa Mesa and beyond. The gun show operator, Crossroads of the West, sells thousands of weapons and weapons-related equipment at the annual OC Fair despite allegations of a felony conviction levied against its founder for federal firearms violations. The Event Center is on state land, giving the Governor and Legislature the authority to regulate it.

“The tragic cycle of gun violence that continued this past weekend has to end,” said Dave Min. “I don’t see freedom when my children come home scared after active shooter drills at school, or when I arrive at the County Fair and am given free tickets to take my family to a gun show. Instead, I see dollar signs valued over the lives of the innocent. I see the deliberate perpetuation of a public health crisis that we can stop but refuse to.

“Gun shows like those held by Crossroads of the West exist for the sole purpose of bringing firearms—many of these weapons of war—into our communities. This is putting the profits of gun manufacturers over the lives of real people. I am calling on the governing board of the OC County Fair to end its contract with Crossroads of the West and any other gun show marketers. The next life lost can’t possibly be worth a $278,000 contract. It is well past time to stand up for our children and our community.

“I applaud recent efforts to end gun shows at state-owned fairgrounds in Del Mar and the San Francisco Bay Area. Similarly, in my first 100 days in office, I promise to author legislation for a ban on these gun shows at the OC Fair and Event Center once and for all. Additionally, I will continue to work with gun safety and violence prevention groups as well as responsible gun owners to advocate for real, on-the-ground action to end these senseless tragedies.”

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