Gun Show Planned for County Center on February 2 is Cancelled

This just in from the office of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino: there will be no gun and knife show at the Westchester County Center as originally scheduled.  According to an email from the County Executive's Office recevied on the afternoon of 12/17, "With respect to the Sportsmen Firearm and Knife Show at the County Center, there is no signed contract for this event in 2013. The shows in past years were popular and run in a thoroughly professional manner. But at this time as the country grieves the loss of life in Newtown, a contract renewal is not appropriate."

Cancellation of the show may have been in response to an email from Greenburgh Town Supervisor Pau Feiner who called for a ban on gun shows at the Westchester County Center. (Here is the text of an email we received from Feiner this weekend:) The Westchester County Center, a county taxpayer owned building, will be the location for the next gun show on February 2 and 3 2013 --according to northeastgunshows.com. Shortly after the Columbine High School shootings--which took the lives of 14 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado former County Executive Andrew Spano banned gun shows from the County Center--calling gun shows at government buildings "inappropriate".

After County Executive Rob Astorino defeated Mr. Spano, Astorino revoked the ban and allowed the gun shows to resume at the county center. When the gun shows were reinstated admission was $11- with $1.50 going to the county. In light of the school shooting which killed 20 children and 7 adults in Sandy Hook, Connecticut on Friday - I am calling on the County Executive and Board of Legislators to ban gun and weapon shows from the County Center. Citizens have a right to bear arms and a right to purchase guns from reputable dealers. But, there is nothing in the constitution that requires governments to allow gun sales at government buildings. If northeastgunshows.com wants to have a gun show in Westchester they should contract with a private facility, not a government owned building.

Among the weapons being sold at the gun show: firearms, knives, and military style weapons. An article in the June 20, 2010 issue of the NY Daily News indicated that some vendors "sold books and magazines with Nazi names at these shows. At least two sold stickers bearing confederate flags and swastikas." Though 99% of the people who purchase guns at gun shows are honest, decent, law abiding citizens all we need is one crazy like the school gunman whose family obtains a gun legally and starts shooting innocent people."