INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The County Commission today voted unanimously to continue the practice of allowing gun shows to take place on public property at the Indian River County Fairgrounds.
A gun, knife and outdoor gear sale is scheduled to take place at the fairgrounds on Feb. 23 and 24, and county resident Jose Lambiet appealed to commissioners to consider not allowing the show to proceed on public property in the aftermath of recent mass shootings, including the Dec. 14 murder by gunfire of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
“You cannot guarantee that guns sold on your land – our land, my land – won’t end up in the hands of criminals,” Lambiet said.
Lambiet was referring to the so-called gun show loophole that allows unlicensed gun vendors to sell weapons to people without any type of background check at organized gun events and elsewhere, a practice that allows criminals and mentally ill people to purchase firearms.
Lambiet also asked the commission to create a citizens board to review events proposed for the fairgrounds to see if they are suitable for the community.
The board was not sympathetic.
Commission Chairman Joe Flescher responded by noting past gun shows at the fairgrounds have not resulted in any problems at the scene and saying that the sheriff’s department has officers at the show to ensure good order.
Commissioner Wesley Davis immediately offered to make a motion to continue with current practices, even though no motion was called in response to public discussion item.
Rene Ramsey, a frequent commission meeting attendee, said she was “very disappointed” the board did not support Lambiet’s request. She said the sale of guns without background checks and the general proliferation of guns is “very dangerous.”
She also noted the Second Amendment’s reference to “a well-regulated militia,” where it confers the right to bear arms.
Commissioner Bob Solari became agitated and said he found Ramsey’s comments “offensive,” and cited a court case known as “District of Columbia v. Heller” that affirmed individual gun ownership rights.
Several other people spoke, both in support of Lambiet’s general drift and in opposition to it.
Larry Grayam, a retired photojournalist whose father was killed in an armed robbery in 1967 when he was 17, said banning gun shows from the fairgrounds would be “a tyrannical attack” on his personal liberties and a “backdoor approach to take away constitutional rights.”
After the public discussion, Davis made the motion to continue current policy. He was seconded by Commissioner Flescher and supported by the rest of the board.
