Evansville Gun Show Shut Down by Health Department

Organizers were given the green light after working with the county health department to put COVID-19 precautions in place, but shortly before doors were set to open, organizers said the health department pulled the plug.

In a 44news exclusive -- constitutional rights put on pause by covid-19.

The health department -- walking back the green light for a gun show set to open in evansville -- this afternoon.

44news's valerie lyons was the only reporter there -- when the decision reversed coarse again.

She joins us now -- to sort out the complicated back and forth.

I spoke with several vendors here at the national guard armory who said they worked with the health department all morning to get the venue up to standard the doors were set to open they were told the show couldn go on.

40 vendors and more than 120 tables -- all ready to go for the 3-day evansville gun, knife and outdoorsmen show at the national guard armory.

But as organizers were setting up -- they say the health department made some requests -- "they came in they had us do all the safety precautions, we put the arrows on the floor i put out the and sanitizers the signs, went outside and did those xs and all that good stuff."

With measures in place -- they were good to go -- "first they told us that we had the green light to go at 125 people in the building at the time."

But 20 minutes before the show was supposed to start the health department wouldn let them open they did 15 thousand dollar fine.

Rodriguez: "i understand that here in evansville there's been some cases and a little bit of an outbreak and i understand the limit on the people but as far as shutting us down and not allowing us to open at all?"" currently in evansville -- there are restrictions on gatherings of more than 125 people -- and organizers must submit a plan to the county health department 10 days prior to the event.

Several organizers say they did just that -- and when the health department gave a reason for the shut down -- they say it's because the event made the department quote "uncomfortable" "these people come from miles and miles away, they've got hotel rooms for two nights so the place is making money off us and they always have for 19 years and they do something like this and shut this down.

It doesn't make sense."

Vendors say they spent hours in limbo -- pleading with the health department -- hoping their time and travels would not go to waste.

Rodriguez: "everybody's already spent their time they've already set up everybody's already invested in this and for them to not even get a chance to do anything, that's not right."

Organizers did eventually get that green light after negotiations with city and county leaders.

I did reach out to the health department earlier in the day to try and find out the exact reason for the shut down in the first place -- but have yet to get a response.

In evansville vl-44news.