Posted on 02/26/2018 5:24:08 AM PST by Simon Green
The lines stretched out the door this weekend at a gun show in Tampa, Fla., as thousands of potential buyers and the merely curious waited for their turn to browse booths stocked with the latest firearms, ammunition, customizable holsters and patriotic paraphernalia.
Inside, parents pushed their babies in strollers past T-shirts emblazoned with phrases like I study triggernometry. A nonprofit group in one booth was raffling off a rifle to raise money to battle child and animal abuse. On large signs by the entrance, the National Rifle Association was offering refunds on the $11 admission if shoppers signed up for a membership. Outside, Girl Scouts were selling cookies.
But the deadly mass shooting a couple of hundred miles away at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School cast its shadow. Both buyers and sellers were talking about the attack, as well as about the divisive debate that it had recently reignited.
And there, on many tables, were racks of AR-15s variations of the hugely popular semiautomatic rifle used by the 19-year-old Parkland gunman.
Several sellers said they were on track to double their normal sales for a weekend. Its sad to say, but whenever theres a shooting, business only goes up because people are afraid of losing their right to own a certain weapon, said Quaidman Woody, who was running a booth with his father, a sales representative for CrossHeirs. So even if they dont need another AR, theyll buy another AR or pieces of it.
In the packed exhibition hall, attitudes toward firearms laws were far from monolithic.
Kathy Fox, who was helping at a booth with collectible Winchester rifles exhibited upright on a turntable, said she was pleased that Representative Brian Mast, a Republican and Army veteran, who represents her district in Florida, had called for a ban....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School cast its shadow. Yeah that’s why sales were doubled for some venders. You just know the only reason the NYT was there was because they just knew attendance would be down.
This is what the Times really wants: free enterprise failure, unemployment increase, loss in stock market investments, decreased manufacturing jobs, etc.
And a grand time was had by all.
And very little, basically no, discussion about the perpetrator himself. Mind you, some mention of broken families and care for the mentally ill as per some people the Times talked to. But we certainly would not expect anything more (or less) from the Times, would we?
Those responsible for the massacre are the democrat politicians, especially the black democrat politicians
This is a political statement and is not racist
This push for gun control will add another million guns to the nation’s civilian stockpile. Obama’s reign of error added several million, making the total an estimated 340,000,000, but many more probably exist.
The Left can never disarm U.S. patriots, but they will never quit trying.
Fire her stupid ass.
Sounds like she’s firing herself. What a dope.
I went to the local gun show here in Reno and the place was absolutely packed, 20-30 people in line to pay for admission.
Not necessarily. The Fudd is strong in a few gun dealers.
See post 11. I went both days actually. Saturday was absolutely packed. They should expand the area for the show. Bought some ammo and stuff, then gave up getting around because it was so full. Went back Sunday, crowded but no so much.
There’s a gun show four times a year at the fairgrounds in Springfield, MO.
It’s always packed, wall to wall people and guns.
I prefer the gun show at Lebanon, MO. Smaller crowd but just as enthusiatic...
The Times completely glossed over the mass shooting that occurred at the gun show.
The punk had nothing to do with the event. It was all AR all the time. That’s how they are portraying it. Poor(sad depressed on meds etc) kid, evil gun. So, when an LEO has to shoot someone, why isn’t the weapon to blame then?
“... said Quaidman Woody...”
That’s quite the name!
I’m really considering getting myself an AR-15....just to piss off some liberal!!!
I work part-time in a gun shop.
We were so busy Saturday I lost track of how many guns I sold.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.