A group calling for the end of gun shows at the Summit County Fairgrounds will be holding a protest Saturday as the site hosts the Summit County Fair. They say the shows are contributing to an increase in gun violence in the area, as well as spreading racist ideology.
Rob Grow is the organizer of the Gun Control Issue Group for the Summit County Progressive Democrats. He says the shows not only sell semi-automatic rifles and handguns but racist and Nazi paraphernalia.
The shows have also been used as a site to recruit for an antigovernment extremist group called The Last Ohio Militia. Grow has been protesting the shows for several years, but he says the insurrection at the Capitol earlier this year makes it even more meaningful this time.
“We saw what kind of damage they can do back in January when all kinds of these groups stormed the Capitol so really the gun shows are really irresponsible, and this one is held on government property.
Private sellers at the gun shows do not need to require background checks due to the gun show loophole, which Grow says is dangerous.
A spokesman from the Summit County Fair says the gun shows follow all federal and state laws and that they work closely with the Summit County sheriff and the Akron Police Department to ensure the community is kept safe.
