The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, upholding the prohibition on firearms and ammunition sales on state property. The decision came in response to two cases, B&L Productions, Inc. v. Newsom, which challenged legislation that bans such sales at venues including the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego and the Orange County Fair & Event Center.
Plaintiffs, including gun show promoter B&L Productions (B&L), argued that these prohibitions violated their First and Second Amendment rights. However, the court sided with the state defendants.
“Guns should not be sold on property owned by the state, it is that simple,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Sales of illegal firearms and ammunition, and sales of firearms and ammunition to prohibited persons, have happened on state property and these laws will further help to prevent that going forward. This is another victory in the battle against gun violence in our state and country. I am thankful for all the hard work my team has put into this case, and we will continue to fight for commonsense gun laws in our communities.”
The contested laws—Assembly Bill 893 (2019), Senate Bill 264 (2021), and Senate Bill 915 (2022)—were enacted between 2019 and 2022. These laws specifically prohibit firearm and ammunition sales at certain state properties. The plaintiffs challenged these statutes in different district courts before their appeals were consolidated by the Ninth Circuit.
The California Department of Justice continues its efforts to curb gun violence associated with gun shows through various enforcement operations:
- In August 2023, DOJ Special Agents conducted an operation at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show at Ontario Convention Center. They identified a felon purchasing parts for an AR-15 style rifle. A subsequent search revealed multiple firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
- In April 2023, agents arrested another felon at the same venue after observing him purchase ammunition magazines. A search warrant led to the seizure of multiple ghost guns, large-capacity magazines, manufacturing parts, and over 700 rounds of ammunition.
- Also in April 2023, agents discovered several vendors selling illegal weapons and large-capacity magazines without permits at the Sacramento Gun Show.
- In February 2024, during an inspection at the Big Chico Gun Show at Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico, CA, agents seized an assault weapon and an unserialized firearm precursor part from a vendor.
The full decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals can be accessed here.