Senator Wiener and Assemblymember Ting’s Legislation Permanently Banning Gun Shows at the Cow Palace Passes Senate

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January 27, 2020

SACRAMENTO - Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement regarding SB 281 passing the Senate. The bill originally passed in 2018, but was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown. Senator Wiener is partnering with Assemblymember Phil Ting (D- San Francisco) on the legislation, which today passed the Senate by a vote of 27-11-1.

For decades, despite broad local opposition to gun shows, and various legislative efforts to end them, the Cow Palace Board of Directors has continued to allow gun shows at the venue. In 2019, Senator Wiener and Assemblymember Ting introduced SB 281 to end the gun shows and also to transfer the Cow Palace’s land to local control. After introduction and advancement of that legislation, the Cow Palace Board of Directors finally became responsive and ended the gun shows. Based on that decision, as well as strong new appointments to the Board by the Governor, Senator Wiener and Assemblymember Ting decided to limit the bill to a permanent gun show ban. The NRA is trying to bully the Cow Palace to reinstate the gun shows, and the Cow Palace has seriously considered doing so, which is why a permanent ban is needed.

Senator Wiener’s statement:

“I am thrilled that SB 281 passed the Senate today. Its passage demonstrates the strong commitment to ending the epidemic of gun violence both in California and in our country. Children should not have to go to school in fear of a shooting. People should not have to be afraid of going to movie theaters, festivals, and other public places due to the prevalence of guns and mass shootings.

I authored SB 281 because it’s time we ban, once and for all, gun shows at the Cow Palace. The Cow Palace sits in the heart of the Bay Area, and there is a long-held consensus in the community that we must end these gun shows permanently. We can’t give into pressure from the NRA and the work they’re doing to reinstate the gun shows. That’s why we need to pass this permanent statutory ban on the Cow Palace gun shows. This is a great step towards that effort and I hope to see SB 281 pass the Assembly later this year.”

Assemblymember Phil Ting, Principal Co-Author, said:

“The community near the Cow Palace has fought long and hard to prohibit gun shows in their neighborhood. Enshrining into law a ban on such shows would give nearby residents peace of mind, and I look forward to championing the bill in the Assembly after today’s approval in the Senate.”