Watch CBS News

Alameda County Avoids Legal Woes, Allows Gun Shows

OAKLAND (CBS/AP) - A years-long showdown over the right to bear arms in Alameda County appears to be over now that the county has agreed to allow tightly restricted gun shows on government property.

A special, 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the county's revised gun show ordinance is constitutional. That ordinance allows gun dealers to sell their wares on county property so long as the guns are unloaded and attached by a sturdy cable to a display table.

The county had previously banned gun shows altogether.

The court ruled the county's concession solved a Second Amendment legal drama that had ricocheted up and down the federal court system for 12 years.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.