SAN FRANCISCO—On September 6, the state Senate passed a bill by a vote of 44-5 that would require local approval for gun shows to be held at the Cow Palace, a state-owned arena.
“For years, residents, community organizations and elected leaders from the neighborhoods surrounding theCowPalacehave asked to have a voice in the decision to hold guns shows in their backyards, but they have been ignored,” said Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), author of the bill.
The goal of the bill, also known as SB 475, is to give authority to lawmakers in San Francisco and San Mateo to determine whether or not ammunition and guns could be sold at the Cow Palace. The Cow Palace is an exhibition hall that was built in the 1940s to host rodeos and sits on the border between the two counties.
“This bill would close a loophole that prevents local input on the issue of gun shows at the Cow Palace,” according to Leno’s website. The website goes on to state that the bill would allow more local gun control in an area that has been hit hard by gun violence and crime, noting the approval would come “before an event at which firearms or ammunition are sold is permitted.”
This is the second time Leno has authored legislation like this that would ban gun shows at the Cow Palace, with the last one vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009.
The bill is now on its way to Governor Brown, who has until October 13 to act on it.
By Melissa Simon
