Gun Show To Take Place In Upper Marlboro Despite Objection

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) -- A gun show will take place in Upper Marlboro despite the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission's reluctance to host it after attorneys for the organization concluded it had no choice.

The show, which will be held at the Show Place Arena on Saturday, is expected to draw up to 2,000 people, The Washington Post reported.

Safety restrictions include banning live ammunition on the premises of the arena, banning dry-firing weapons and requiring firearms to have trigger locks. At least five park police officers must be on duty providing security.

"I think they are trying to make it as hard as possible for a legal gun show to be held in the county," Dan Blasberg, president of Maryland Shall Issue, a gun rights advocacy organization, said.

The arena in Prince George's County, which is owned and operated by the park and planning commission, hosted gun shows annually until 2013 when the mass shooting at a school in Newtown, Connecticut occurred. During that time, the agency issued a moratorium on such events while the state passed gun laws, which set strict guidelines for gun dealers and purchasers.

However, the new legislation said nothing about regulating gun shows so agency officials have put their own restrictions in place.

The concerns center on legal liability, general counsel Adrian Gardner said.

Gardner wrote to state lawmakers and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh this week, asking for new legislation that would set safety standards for gun shows and establish procedures for licensing both show venues and events.

"We decided to ask for help from the state once it became clear that a gun show at the Show Place Arena was a legal inevitability," Gardner said.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)