Posted on 01/06/2013 5:22:02 AM PST by Perseverando
Although antique firearms attracted some attention, many people bought modern weapons.
When folks visited Jerry Cochran's tables at Saturday's gun show in the Roanoke Civic Center, they were mainly purchasing high-capacity magazines and guns such as the AR-15.
Cochran, who runs two Trader Jerry's gun shops in Cedar Bluff and in Salem, said he believed fear was driving many of his customers at Saturday's show, hosted by Blacksburg-based promotion company Showmasters.
"It's a fear of the government prohibiting what they want," he said, "which is their right to own guns."
Saturday's show filled the civic center with a large variety of people, including babies in strollers, older people and everyone in between, buying and selling everything from guns, knives and gun accessories and parts to items such as jewelry, collectable coins, T-shirts, military surplus items, stun guns and even beef jerky.
While there was much variety to be found, fears of potential government firearms control in the wake of incidents such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., loomed large in the minds of attendees.
"Obama has done everything he said he would so far," Cochran said, indicating he believed the president may propose laws to limit or ban certain types of guns, including assault-style rifles such as the AR-15 and high-capacity magazines.
Showmasters has been bringing gun shows to the civic center for 41 years. Showmasters owner and President Annette Elliott said business has boomed in recent weeks. At the end of the day on Saturday, Elliott said the show had sold about 4,600 tickets and had about 200 more people register or renew their National Rifle Association dues.
Gun sales were up across the state last year. Virginia State Police released a report showing that the Virginia Firearms Transaction center performed background checks on 75,120 people during December, 33,163 more than the December 2011 total. Additionally, the 432,987 checks performed in 2012 was 111,221 more than the 2011 tally.
The few private sellers at Saturday's show said they also attempted to find out their customers' motives, even if they were not licensed to check the backgrounds of potential buyers.
James Worth of Lexington was selling his personal guns at a small table during Saturday's show. Worth collects and occasionally sells guns as a hobby; his main profession is running his own private clinical psychology practice, which he's been doing for 45 years. He acknowledged, especially as a psychologist, that mental health is a "tricky problem" when buying and selling firearms.
Worth said he supports the idea of a database of people who have histories of mental health problems that could be searched when they try to buy guns. He said he tries to keep his customers accountable, even though he can't check their backgrounds in VCheck, and prefers to sell to customers with concealed carry permits.
Elliot blamed mental health budget cuts and the saturation of pop culture with violent video games and movies as reasons for the seeming increase in incidents such as mass shootings.
But she doesn't think recent incidents like the Sandy Hook shooting were the only reason people went shopping at the show. Many of the guns at Saturday's show were collectibles that aren't necessarily for use.
Randy Clark, the president of Clark Collectible Arms in Roanoke, had guns at his table that dated to the 1910s, and he said he has guns in his shop that date to the Revolutionary War. He said he was selling many of the older guns for two to three times what he had originally paid for them several years ago.
"They keep going up in value," he said. "It's a good investment."
Elliott characterized the show as a "shopping mall" for firearms enthusiasts of all kinds. She said bringing many dealers together under one show enabled customers to get good prices on items, as well as information and training. Concealed carry classes were being offered during the show from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for $45.
Cochran said he felt a concealed carry permit was one of the best things a gun owner could have. "The only thing you can do about a bad person with a gun," he said, "is a good person with a gun."
A gun show in Tulsa yesterday was described as a ‘frenzy.”
I saw a lot of people yesterday in NW ARK but not a lot of gun buying - mostly magazines and ammo.
Same in Columbus a couple weeks ago. Lots of people walking around who could not afford an AR if they wanted one. Very few buying anything at all, except for some ammo. Plenty of clips available, ARs were twice what they are worth. The parking lots are full and the gun show management is making a killing of course.
Jerry, and anyone else having contact with the enemedia (including us), would better serve the cause of 2nd Amendment liberty by getting in the habit of referring to the Constitution's actual wording.
Eg ... which is their right to Keep and Bear Arms.
A few 'Shall Not Be Infringed's wouldn't go amiss either.
That, of course, assumes that said wording would ring a memory bell with more than a dwindling percentage of the sheople.
/.02
I was in Wal-mart yesterday afternoon. The ammunition shelves were seriously depleted, and the clerk told me that they had received a shipment just that morning.
I would take a humble guess that hundreds of guys over the past four years have stocked up on assault rifles and have them stored safely away in a basement room...waiting for the price to triple up and they can clear $50k of profit in just a week.
We have faced times like these before but never in the History of the USA have guns, ammo and even parts been completely and totally sold out... and as soon as a listing comes online for almost any in demand item... within minutes... OUT OF STOCK appears when you click the order button.
All that I have to say is **** every demonic commie in DC... there are more communists per square foot in DC than there are in Moscow or Beijing. We have long term Senators that are absolute treasonous in their actions and feinswine is a prime example. She is pure evil... corrupt... mean... filled with hypocrisy... and she should be facing a trial for treason for her past and present actions... but like the rapist and purgerer bill clinton... she is a dim and is above the law.
Then we have morons... truly unintelligent and uneducated idiots like sheila jackson lee and maxine waters being reelected term after term after term... they cannot even speak coherent English... much less understand or even comprehend the US Constitution. That is not a RACIST statement... THAT IS A PROVABLE STATEMENT OF FACT. The Internet media sites and NEXUS are replete with examples from these two buffoons as well as many other elected evilcrats.
LLS
Exactly my thoughts as well.
said he believed fear anger & outrage was driving many of his customers at Saturday's show,...
There, fixed it.
I can say with some satisfaction that what was needed and set in storage was done no less than 4 or more years ago. The primers, cases, powder, bullets and of course the platforms which I must leave to anyone’s imagination was bought and paid for when they were ample and affordable..
I peek at the Walmart shelf here in Alaska, most defense ammo is indeed gone, the obscure stuff is still there and the big game stuff.
I will NOT go to any gun show, I do NOT need any more mags.
I SAW where things were heading, for those that refused to hope for the best prepare for the worst, well now its the worst. And for those that lurk, first time visitors, may be OWS and you are all “concerned” that you don’t have “your fair share”
well you are the morons that will be standing out in the rain jeering at Noah and Sarah Palin while the rains keep on falling.
And now you are desperate like rats in a bucket, you publish info for your buddies so they can share gun ownership, but instead you just want to be on the winning team because you know Obama and his empire is going to fall, but many of you will be shooting conservatives or Tea Party members in the back.
Might have to hit a gun show to find a 30-round mag for my Ruger 10/22 rifle - none of the stores that used to carry them have any left and I doubt they’ll stock them again unless we stop the anti-gun insanity in its tracks. The 10-round rotary mags that are standard for it have to be the most awkward .22LR mags in existence when it comes to loading them up.
Wow! look at all those swing state voters showing their support for GUN CONTROL. Are you paying attention GOP?
Basic AR or AK here in Texas went for approx. $850. and some change a few weeks back. They are double that now.
Freedom is invaluable and folks will pay three times this amount without blinking an eye to secure it.
they were mainly purchasing high-capacity magazines and guns such as the AR-15.
Surprised there were any to be had....
Resale by private seller. Gotta be.
We have our Gun show coming up in a couple of weeks but I’m sure it’s going to be crazy and I might pass. I believe in 2008 when Hussein got elected they would only let folks in 10 at a time.
Found the same at our local Walmart when I was there on Christmas Eve. There was NO ammo of any caliber that would feed a semiautomatic firearm.
Even better. The guy at the sporting goods counter said they had put 4 Colt M4s out on the shelf for sale that morning, and every one of them was gone within 45 minutes.(they are getting in the good 'LE' models) He said they are ordering four of them every day, and are still getting them in, and they aren't marking them up like crazy like everyone else. (remember folks, if you encounter one and done have the cash on hand to pick it up - they DO allow layaway on firearms)
We go to the Roanoke Gun Show every year, and I was there yesterday. It was insane! Never seen such crowds there!
I ended up not buying anything though. I MAY be fairly well stocked on about everything I’d need for long term(glad I got started good back in 2009), and I try to avoid WAY over paying, buying during times of panic.
Hopefully this bullshit legislation they are talking, will be declared DOA in the Congress, and all of this will blow over. THEN... I think I’ll buy a truckload of 30rnd AR Mags, among other things. My greatest fear at this time is 0bama exercising his role as ‘little emperor’ and using Executive Orders to advance their agenda.
That’s a good point!
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