The ad asks, "Could a felon, domestic abuser, or minor buy guns at gun shows held at the Iowa State Fairgounds?" The ad answers it's own question "Yes, Very easily."

To prove its point, IPGV went to a gun show at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Jan. 16 and purchased an SKS semi-automatic assault rifle from an unliscensed vendor. All the "designated buyer" had to do was give the seller $250 in cash and the seller handed over the gun - no background check, no record of slae, no questions asked. Thes seller didn't even ask to see a phot ID to verify that the buyer was an Iowa resident. (Note: It is unlawful for an individual to sell a firearm to a person from another state.

“Why is the Iowa State Fair Board aiding the sale of cop-killing assault weapons to the general public without even a background check of the buyer?” said John Johnson, executive director of IPGV. “This transaction proves that a prohibited firearms purchaser could go to a gun show at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and illegally buy guns on state property. That should concern not only the Iowa State Fair Board, but also the general public, especially those who live in the Des Moines area.”

IPGV is targeting the Iowa State Fair Board “because the Board has the authority to require criminal background checks on all gun transfers as a condition for renting the fairgrounds for the purpose of holding a gun show.”

Said Johnson, “The Iowa State Fair Board has a civic responsibility to take reasonable precautions to ensure that gun shows held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds are not used as venues where prohibited purchasers can evade a criminal background check and illegally buy guns. To not take reasonable precautions is a blatant disregard for the public’s safety. It amounts to gross negligence.”

Johnson notes that the 15-member Iowa State Fair Board includes as members the governor, secretary of agriculture, and president of Iowa State University.