Issues concerning the right to bear arms highlighted nearly two hours of public testimony Nov. 14 surrounding an ordinance that would prohibit gun shows at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.

County commissioners are expected to vote Dec. 12 on the law, which was brought on by recent changes in the state legislature that determined that firearms cannot be possessed near election centers and county buildings where governments meet. State laws also allows the county to restrict firearm possession in stadiums or convention centers owned by the county.

The proposal would restrict open and concealed carry firearms in the county Administration Building. It would also restrict the possession, sale, purchase or trade of firearms at the fairgrounds. Specific locations in the law are Thunderbird Arena and Stadium, the Presidents’ Hall and the Pavilion.

Supporters of the law said their safety and the safety of their children are put at risk by guns every day.

Darin Gemmer, a 15-year resident of Kitsap, said one of his two children attends Central Kitsap High School, where a 17-year-old boy was recently arrested for bringing a gun to school and robbing a student. Events like that cause him to believe there should be fewer guns in the county. “I’ve never owned a firearm. I never feel like I need to own a firearm. I feel like our public safety officers do a perfectly good job of protecting us,” he said.

Diana Frazier of Poulsbo said guns are scary to her five children, no matter who has them, and that removing them from the fairgrounds would make it a safer environment for kids. “When my kid sees a gun on your belt or wherever you want to keep it, they will be terrified of you and think you’re a bad person,” she said. “Not because I’m telling them that, but because they live in a world where they’re not even safe to go learn.”

The number of supporters were few compared with those who opposed the ban at the meeting.

Leading the charge was Rick Kuss, who said he would be a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the county “based on the empirical evidence and case law” if the law was passed. “It is we the people who tell the government what they can and cannot do, not the other way around,” said Kuss, a recent candidate for county sheriff.

Those opposed argued the law is not just a violation of second amendment rights, but it also encourages fear-mongering by assuming guns are causing the problems.

President of the Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club Barbara Butterton said the ordinance takes advantage of citizens and businesses who have abided by the law in conducting gun shows over the years. “I am afraid of a government and a sheriff’s department who promotes an undercurrent of fear of legal, responsible gun owners, concealed permit holders, and businesses that are responsible and are already vetted because they’ve had gun shows before,” she said.

KC Patton of Bremerton used a hammer, a common tool used in basic life, as a visual prop to get across the message that firearms are not the danger, but rather the criminal that wields them. “I can lay that (hammer) there, and it’s not going to do anything. The same holds true for a firearm. What you ought to do is go ahead and uphold the laws that are already on the books for criminals that violate the laws that we have.”

The fairgrounds have been a location for a number of gun shows over the years, including those hosted by Michael Scribner of Falcon Productions. He described himself as “the guy they’re going to put out of business.”

He said, “It doesn’t feel like America when I’ve got to drive all the way across the city, take ferries to come here with a back that burns with pain from my injuries in the military to stand here on American soil and say, ‘Please, don’t take my business away.’”

Scribner also said that a common misconception is the county funds the shows when instead he pays to lease the fairgrounds, which provides money for the county.

Commissioner Ed Wolfe described the crowd as the largest he’s seen at a public board meeting in years and was grateful for all of the testimony. “My eyes and ears have been opened up tonight, and I need to look a little bit more and study on my part as needed,” he said.