SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A group of San Diego gun owners is issuing a challenge to critics of the Crossroads of the West Gun Show in Del Mar.
Find an illegal gun sale, and they'll donate $10,000.
Michael Schwartz, of San Diego County Gun Owners, wants to set the record straight.
"Every time the gun show comes to town, a small group of anti-gun protesters spreads false information about firearms and products," Schwartz said Friday during a press conference.
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So, he's offering this challenge. Anyone who successfully finds an illegal gun sale and the group will donate $10,000 to a charity of that person's choice.
But anyone who accepts and fails to find one must pledge to attend an, "educational day about the proper and safe use of firearms," Schwartz said.
Supporters maintain the gun show is a safe and legal place for people to learn from each other while enjoying their hobby.
It's been held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds five times a year for decades and while opponents don't like the idea of any kind of gun show, their main concern is that this one is held on state-owned land.
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"The state should not be in the business of selling guns or promoting them," Roseanne Sharp, the lead organizer with Never Again California, one of the groups protesting the gun show, said.
Sharp called the entire challenge a publicity stunt.
"Michael Schwartz has created the perfect NRA fundraising scam," Sharp said.
She argues it's all a tactic to incite their base and use fear to fundraise.
"He knows that he created these allegations. They've never been made and therefore, he knows he'll never have to pay out the $10,000 reward," Sharp said.
Protesters plan to put up three murals created by students from different communities, showing their fears of gun shows and gun violence.
"It's our future generation that we're trying to protect," Sharp added.
