BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a memorandum of points and authorities in support of their motion for a preliminary injunction in a case challenging California’s new statute banning gun shows.
Joining SAF in this action are the California Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc., Asian Pacific American Gun Owners Association, the Second Amendment Law Center, Inc., B&L Productions, Inc., d/b/a Crossroads of the West and four private citizens, Gerald Clark, Eric Johnson, Chad Littrell and Jan Steven Merson. They are represented by attorneys Anna M. Barvir, Michel & Associates, P.C., and Donald Kilmer, Law Offices of Donald Kilmer. The case is known as B & L Productions, Inc. et al v. Gavin Newsom et al.
The original complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. A hearing is scheduled Jan. 6, 2023.
The 33-page memorandum asserts that the purpose of the new legislation was banning gun shows statewide. The memorandum states, “There is no evidence that California’s gun shows—already more heavily regulated than other avenues for firearm sales—pose some unique threat to public safety. And California has identified no other compelling interest that might justify its ban. Instead, the legislative history reveals the legislators’ bare desire to make a ‘value statement’ about guns and gun shows and to get California out of the business of profiting from such events. In short, California’s animus for Plaintiffs, their commerce in lawful products, and the cultural aspects of these events is the not-so-hidden motivation behind the State’s action.”
“Gun shows are gathering places for like-minded citizens with common interests rooted in their exercise of the Second Amendment,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The state is essentially trying to prohibit freedom of speech and association in public forums by banning gun shows, simply because backers of this legislation have a visceral dislike of guns and the people who own them.
“It is alarming that the government of any state, including California, would attempt to legislate against the First Amendment rights of people who want to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” he added. “We will pursue this case for as long as it takes to see that justice is served.”
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 720,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
