DEL MAR (KGTV) -- The Del Mar Fairgrounds is hosting The Cross Roads of the West Gun show this weekend.
But show goers were met by dozens of protestors before walking inside.
“I love those little kids. That was the trigger,” retired first grade teacher, Carol Mason said. “There have been so many more that it just breaks my heart.”
The 88-year-old said she was inspired to partake in her first anti-gun demonstration Saturday, after being inspired by the nationwide student walk-out last week.
She and more than 100 people held signs and walked along Villa De La Valle, chanting “Never Again!” Especially after the Parkland tragedy, protestors said they could not stand to see another child being killed by gun violence. The thought of a gun show in their city disgusted them.
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“I associate the fairgrounds with the Del Mar Fair. The San Diego County Fair,” protester, Jill Cooper said. “And all of these wonderful shows like the concerts, and it does seem like a miss match because if we allow gun shows to continue, I think we are sending a chilling message to our children that guns are more important than they are.“
Michael Schwartz, Executive Director of San Diego Gun Owners PAC disagreed.
Because California has one of the strictest and perhaps most confusing gun laws in the nation, he said that shows like these help gun owners and their families learn proper gun etiquette and practices. He believed that will help avoid future tragedies.
“People go learn to get training and get and try different types of firearms legally, that sort of thing,” Schwartz said. “So, if you want responsible firearms ownership, you want a gun show five times a year in Del Mar.”
Meanwhile, Mason accepted the fact that she will not see eye to eye with those inside the gun show. But she hoped her first ever protest at age 88 just triggered a new perspective.
“We’re not trying to take away their 2nd amendment right,” Mason said. “We’re not trying to remake the whole culture. But we’ll peck at it. Bit by bit by bit. To become more sensitive, more aware and support our kids in schools.”
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The Gun show also featured special panels on new gun laws.
The show concludes Sunday at 4pm.
