Throughout the day, hundreds packed the venue for the Glendale Gun Show. The show has been held at the auditorium for nearly 20 years, but a proposed ordinance by a Glendale city councilman would ban gun shows on city owned property.
Steve Friesen, the operator of the gun show, says there has never been any trouble during the shows. Supporters of gun rights and community members who want the show to move both held rallies outside the auditorium.
"We're playing with fire here," said Vahe Peroomian, a gun show opponent. "We're selling ammo by the truckload across the street from a community college and hoping for the best. How many schools shootings is it going to take for common sense to prevail?"
Gun-rights supporters also sounded off.
"They're not shooting guns here at the show, they're just selling guns and showing guns, so it's not going to hurt them at all. That's ridiculous, insane, doesn't make any sense at all," said Rev. Jesse Peterson, a gun show proponent.
The show's operator says no one leaves the auditorium with a gun immediately after making a purchase.
"In California, there is no gun show loophole," Friesen said. "You pick out your firearm, you essentially sign a contract to purchase that gun from that vendor and you pick it up 10 days later after the background check has been completed."
The City Council is expected to consider the ordinance on gun shows next month.
