Kitsap commissioners won't pursue Fairgrounds gun show ban
The Kitsap County commissioners are reversing course on an ordinance that would have banned gun shows at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
After proposing the ordinance and hosting an hours-long public hearing on it on Nov. 14 in which dozens of people testified, the commissioners' office released a notice on Thursday that said it had decided to take no action on it and that it would be withdrawn from consideration. The commissioners were set to take action on the proposed ordinance on Monday.
Kitsap County Commissioner Ed Wolfe, who is the board chair, told the Kitsap Sun on Friday that after hearing testimony on the issue, he had decided that more time was needed to weigh the issue. But with him leaving the office this month and newly elected Commissioner Katie Walters coming on board, it would be up to the new board of commissioners to decide whether it wanted to move it forward.
"It seemed like we were moving quickly," Wolfe said. "It's such a large issue and I had questions and thought I needed more time to re-review this."
Wolfe went on to add: "I'm not suggesting the action may not be necessary," and "I think it needed more work, and there were unanswered questions in my mind."
North Kitsap Commissioner Rob Gelder would not say whether the board would bring the ordinance up for reconsideration in 2023.
"It will be up to the new board to discuss and determine if it will be part of the priorities for next year," he wrote in an email to the Kitsap Sun. "Our work plan is built from consensus and we will have a new commissioner that will be absorbing a tremendous amount in the coming months."
State law allows counties and cities to enact firearms restrictions in any stadium or convention center operated by local governments, though it cannot restrict the showing, demonstration or a lecture involving firearms. The Kitsap County Fairgrounds has been host to gun shows in a variety of its buildings over the years, including the Presidents' Hall and the Van Zee Building. The proposed ordinance specifically mentioned the Thunderbird Arena and Stadium, the Pavilion and Presidents’ Hall.
In its notice on Thursday, the board of commissioners noted that it had received over 150 comments on the proposal from both sides of the issue.
"The diversity of comments revealed how regulations regarding guns and gun shows can be polarizing but may also be used as an opportunity to discuss other important topics related to gun rights and public safety," it said. "Challenges surrounding implementation were also highlighted and, at this junction, any substantive changes to the draft ordinance would require re-noticing for public comment."
The proposed ordinance addressed both gun shows at the Fairgrounds and changes to state law that restrict where gun owners can carry firearms in county government buildings. The latter goes into effect without the ordinance, as state law now prohibits those who are licensed to conceal from doing so in areas of government buildings where ballot counting is taking place and prohibits the open carry of firearms in county and city municipal buildings. Those changes apply to the Kitsap County Administration building.
"That is the state law," Wolfe said. "We can restate that or not restate that, but it is the law."
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Kitsap County commissioners won't pursue Fairgrounds gun show ban
