End gun shows at War Memorial

A year ago, the City of Fort Lauderdale was talking about regulating what could be sold at gun shows at War Memorial Auditorium.

A lot has changed in a year, particularly in Fort Lauderdale, which is why the city should no longer try to regulate what type of weapons can be sold at these gun shows.

What it should do instead is simply stop leasing the city-owned venue to gun shows.

City commissioner Dean Trantalis this week asked the city to investigate the possibility of not leasing the auditorium for the Fort Lauderdale Gun Show, which has been coming to the city for more than 30 years.

Last year, after the slaughter of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Trantalis suggested the city ban the sale of assault rifles at these gun shows, but his idea ran afoul of a state law that bans cities from passing their own gun regulations. Only the state can do that, and state leaders pretty much want guns everywhere.

Last week, commissioners asked City Attorney Cynthia Everett to research whether the city can legally impose any lease restrictions related to the sale of guns.

Trantalis, often a minority of one on the commission, isn’t looking for a change in the annual lease. He suggests an end to the lease. We agree. It’s not that gun show organizers have done anything wrong. They’ve made good on a variety of lease conditions. For example, all vendors are licensed firearm dealers, a police security detail is provided and there are various inspection tables and other precautions. While background checks are performed on vendor sales, private owner-to-new-owner sales occur without them.

“They’ve cooperated with law enforcement with every single request over the years,” Mayor Jack Seiler argues.

But Fort Lauderdale is not the same city it was 30 years ago, when the gun show began. Its spring-break party image has shifted to family-oriented. The city now bills itself as a sophisticated, world-class destination.

A weekend gun show — eight times a year — hardly fits that profile. Quite simply, we’ve outgrown the need for gun shows.

Then there was the killing of five people — and the wounding of six more — at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last month, allegedly by a troubled man allowed to travel with his gun.

In the wake of the shooting, Fort Lauderdale could make a statement that this town has grown up and doesn’t see gun shows as part of its image anymore. This has nothing to do with restricting gun sales. There are plenty of gun shops in Broward County. We’re simply past the point where gun shows should be featured events at city venues.

War Memorial Auditorium is in the middle of Holiday Park, where families go to enjoy the outdoors. The city should be able to decide what type of events it wants hosted there. It’s hard to imagine the city would rent its space for an XXX-rated sex-toy show. And let’s not forget it blocked “Bodies ... The Exhibition” from opening there because of ethical concerns. So there’s precedent.

“The state says we can’t interfere with the sale and transfer of guns, but we’re not going to do that,” Trantalis told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board. “We have a property right, which we can assert.”

So check out the legalities. But if the city finds it’s not legally obligated to lease the auditorium for a gun show, it should market the venue to other events.

The city doesn’t need gun shows anymore.

Fort Lauderdale is not the same city it was 30 years ago, when the gun show began.