Nordyke v. King
California Supreme Court · No. S091549 · 44 P.3d 133
👎Unfavorable to gun rights
Left the county's firearm possession ordinance enforceable against gun shows, rejecting the promoters' preemption argument.
GunMapUSA assessment of the outcome's direction, not a statement that the court decided rightly or wrongly.
What the court held
Answering a question certified by the Ninth Circuit, the California Supreme Court considered whether state firearms statutes preempt an Alameda County ordinance making it a misdemeanor to bring or possess a firearm on county property, which effectively prevented gun show promoters from operating at the county fairgrounds. The court held the ordinance is not preempted insofar as it applies to gun shows, reasoning that the ordinance does not duplicate the state crimes of carrying concealed or loaded firearms and that Penal Code section 171b merely permits, rather than requires, local governments to allow gun shows. It declined to decide whether the ordinance is partially preempted as to categories of people state law authorizes to carry firearms; Justice Brown dissented.
Summarized from the court's opinion.
What this case is about
whether state firearms law preempts a county ordinance banning firearm possession on county property and gun shows
GunMapUSA summary of the issue, not a quotation from the court.
Key Dates
- 2002-04-22 — Decided
Sources
- CourtListener — retrieved 2026-08-08
Summary of public court records. Not legal advice.