NRA enters debate on gun shows at fairgrounds

Joey Garrison | The Tennessean

NASHVILLE — The nation’s largest lobbying organization for gun rights has come to the aid of gun shows held at Nashville’s city-owned fairgrounds as the events draw greater scrutiny from the board that manages the property.

National Rifle Association lobbyist Erin Luper addressed the five-member Metro Board of Fair Commissioners at Tuesday’s fair board meeting to deliver a message: Don’t pull the plug on guns shows at The Fairgrounds Nashville that date back more than three decades.

There is no proposal to halt gun shows at the Nashville’s fairgrounds — however, fair board commissioner Kenny Byrd has suggested that a communitywide discussion take place to see whether the public wants to continue gun shows on property that belongs to Metro. That push comes amid proposed regulations floated by he and other fair commissioners they say are aimed at safety.

Luper, a state liaison for the NRA who is based at the organization's Fairfax, Va., headquarters, in her remarks accused gun control advocates such as former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg of “shamelessly touting” inaccurate statistics regarding firearm transactions from gun shows. She claimed less than 1% of guns used to commit crimes in the U.S. originate from gun shows and warned against listening to “bad data” of gun control backers.

“With this reality in mind, I ask the board to address a simple question: Why now? Why after a (long) legacy of holding gun shows at The Fairgrounds Nashville is the board now considering the move to cancel these events, especially considering how these events are enjoyed by so many of our citizens in a safe and responsible manner?” Luper said.

“On behalf of NRA members across the state of Tennessee, we oppose the removal of gun shows from the schedule of activities at The Fairgrounds Nashville and hope that this board will not pander to the misguided politics of the anti-freedom agenda.”

For 35 years, Kentucky-based Bill Goodman’s Gun and Knife Shows has rented space from the Metro fairgrounds for its weekend gun shows. The entity pays around $7,500 for each show, accounting for more than $80,000 in fairgrounds revenue per year.

More recently, a new vendor, RK Gun Show, has started renting fairgrounds space for events.

The fair board took no action Tuesday regarding possible new guidelines for gun shows at the Nashville fairgrounds, but it plans to revisit the issue at next month’s meeting. Bill Goodman’s Gun and Knife Shows is contracted with the fair board through 2016, meaning new rules wouldn’t go into effect until 2017.

Fair board commissioner Caleb Hemmer distributed the board a draft of seven proposed requirements for gun shows to help guide discussion. New requirements include stipulating that gun promoters must:

• Include a description of gun show security measures with the lease agreement for each show.

• Post signs at the entrance of gun shows that say the sale of firearms must be done in accordance with the law and only to customers who can legally purchase guns.

• Check identification to make sure children younger than 18 are accompanied by adults.

• Certify that background checks are conducted for all sales.

• And ensure that all firearms brought into shows by private individuals are cleared of ammunition and tagged for identification purposes.

In addition Byrd has talked about expanding liability coverage paid by gun vendors to protect the city in the event that crimes — including homicides — originate from guns purchased at gun shows at Nashville’s fairgrounds. He’s also discussed installing monitors to ensure background checks are performed during gun sales, and expanding the police presence in parking lots at gun shows to prevent the resale of guns. Two officers patrol the events.

Regarding possible gun show measures, a spokesman for Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has said the mayor believes the fairgrounds should be "safe, secure and free from illegal activity" and supports efforts by the fair board to ensure that happens.

On Tuesday Byrd criticized Bill Goodman’s Gun and Knife Shows for its policy of not allowing cameras and media at its events and demanded that it be overhauled.

He also grilled David Goodman, who manages the gun show, for what Byrd called objectionable paraphernalia he learned has been sold at Goodman's gun shows at the fairgrounds. They include stickers that read, “Keep America Free: Shoot a liberal,” and a T-shirt that features the Confederate flag alongside the words, “Defending freedom since 1861.”

“That’s not family-friendly events,” Byrd said. “I’m a liberal. I don’t want to be shot … and I don’t want you selling stuff with that message.”

“There’s things going on (at these gun shows) that this board would not appreciate,” Byrd said. “And we can’t come in and record a video or take pictures of what’s going on. That needs to change right there.”

David Goodman, who has defended the safety procedures of his gun shows, said on Tuesday that 100% of all gun sellers at his shows are licensed. As for the shirts and stickers described by Byrd, he said they aren’t intended to be literal. He also defended the sale of Confederate flags at his gun shows, calling it “a matter of taste” and not a symbol of racism.

Facing new competition from RK Gun Shows, Goodman is pushing for a new policy that would ensure at least a one-week buffer between shows operated by the different gun show vendors. The board voted Tuesday to leave the discretion of a spacing policy to fairgrounds executive director Buck Dozier.

Follow Joey Garrison on Twitter: @joeygarrison