FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2007
Contact:
Bilen Mesfin, DA Harris’ Office, 553-1226
Debbie Mesloh, DA Harris’ Office, 553-1596
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KAMALA HARRIS AND GAVIN NEWSOM ASK GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER TO HALT GUN SHOWS AT THE COW PALACE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - District Attorney Kamala D. Harris and Mayor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger today asking him to halt gun shows at the Cow Palace. The request follows the announcement yesterday that the Mayor and District Attorney are working with Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) on AB 1668, a law to ban the sale of guns and ammunition at the state-owned Cow Palace.
Last week, Mayor Newsom signed into law a package of strict anti-gun legislation co-authored by D.A. Harris that will make San Francisco the city with the nation’s toughest gun laws.
Text of the letter (for a PDF, please click here):
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August 9, 2007
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
We are writing to respectfully request that you take action to halt further gun shows from being held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. We believe the Cow Palace gun shows contribute to the flow of illegal firearms and the continuing epidemic of gun violence in San Francisco.
While many weapons vendors are surely law-abiding, tragically, others are not. There is a long anecdotal history of illegal gun sales on side streets surrounding the Cow Palace during the gun shows. It is not a coincidence that the Cow Palace is located directly across the street from the San Francisco neighborhoods that suffer the highest concentration of illegal guns, gun violence and homicide in the City. Public safety demands that we confront this source of illegal firearms in our community.
There is strong evidence that easy access to illegal firearms is claiming lives in San Francisco. Over the last three years, more than 85% of all homicides were committed with firearms, compared to only 60% in 2001. Non-fatal shootings have also increased dramatically. Last year, San Francisco’s largest trauma center treated 228 victims for gunshot wounds, more than double the 110 treated in 2003. Our Public Health Department estimates that last year’s gun violence will cost our city over $53 million in direct health care costs alone. Our community cannot and will not continue to bear the outrageous human and fiscal costs of gun violence. Our City officials are working aggressively to educate youth and their families about the dangers of guns and the reality of gun violence. In light of the epidemic of gun violence in the neighborhoods abutting the Cow Palace, the gun shows send the wrong message to our community, youth and adults alike.
As you know, the Cow Palace is state property under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Agriculture. See Food & Ag. Code § 3853 (2007). As Governor, you have the power to restrict activities at the Cow Palace that are injurious to the health and welfare of citizens. See Food & Ag. Code §§ 4051 et seq. (2007). We urge you to exercise your power to immediately halt further gun shows at the Cow Palace.
The next gun show is scheduled for August 11-12, 2007. We look forward to your prompt action. We are available to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss this matter. \
Respectfully Yours,
Mayor Gavin Newsom
District Attorney Kamala D. Harris