The Crossroads of the West Gun Show returns to the Del Mar Fairgrounds this weekend, and protests are planned nearby in the aftermath of the deadly Parkland, FL, school shooting.
The Crossroads show, billed as “The Big One,” takes place Saturday and Sunday, with doors open at 9 a.m. each day.
NeverAgainCA plans a protest from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Jimmy Durante Boulevard and Via de la Valle. Protesters plan to wear orange shirts — “the same color hunters wear to protect themselves from accidentally being shot by other hunters,” according to the group.
“This demonstration is our effort to offer all persons who want to send a strong message to the fair board about the inappropriateness of continuing to allow this event on state property,” the organization said in a statement.
The controversial show has been held in Del Mar on the state fairgrounds property four times a year for the past two decades.
The show promises “pistols, shotguns, handguns, rifles, muskets, all sorts of gun and hunting accessories. Collector firearms…Every kind of gun imaginable.”
Attendees can bring guns to sell or trade, but show organizers warn, “Please be sure the gun is unloaded before you enter the building…No loaded firearms and no loaded magazines are permitted in any Crossroads gun show.”
Separately from the gun show, San Diego County Gun Owners, a political action committee promoting Second Amendment rights, will host its 2018 California Gun Laws Convention from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the fairgrounds on Saturday in conjunction with the gun show.
“We are hosting this conference, our second annual, to help inform and educate law-abiding citizens about the latest gun laws from various perspectives,” said Michael Schwartz, executive director.
The keynote speaker will be AWR Hawkins, a columnist for the conservative Breitbart website.