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The many positive aspects of gun shows

By Jim Supica

Apr. 01, 2006

There are some bad apples in any group, but from 30 years of attending gun shows on a regular basis I can assure you that the vast majority of table holders and attendees are as fine a group of law-abiding and patriotic Americans as you’d want to find.

Current and former military and law enforcement personnel tend to be disproportionately represented. A commitment to safe, responsible and legal firearms ownership seems to be the most common shared sentiment of gun-show regulars.

There is no exemption from federal or state firearms laws for gun-show sales. It is illegal to be in the business of selling firearms without a federal firearms license, and gun shows are no exception to this law.

Private sales automobiles, power tools, collectible coins, dolls or other personal property are legal and a basic part of property rights. Private sales of firearms are legal, too, but more restricted.

For example, it is illegal for a private individual to sell a handgun to a resident of a different state, or to sell any type of firearm to a convicted felon or anyone else prohibited from firearms ownership. Again, these laws apply to private sales at gun shows, just as they apply to private sales through want ads or the Internet.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is aware of this situation, and it monitors gun shows on a regular basis to identify and apprehend criminals breaking the laws. A gun show is a poor choice of location for someone looking to illegally sell or purchase guns.

Gun shows have several important functions beyond buying and selling firearms. The shows serve as a gathering place for folks of similar political sentiment, especially as it applies to the importance of protecting individual freedoms in general and the Bill of Rights and Second Amendment in particular.

They tend to be a regular forum for candidates seeking support of gun owners, and for political activism and debate. In addition to Second Amendment rights, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech need to be considered major concerns in any attack on gun shows.

Gun shows also provide significant educational and entertainment opportunities. The Missouri Valley Arms Collectors National Gun Show last July exhibited an air rifle carried on the Lewis and Clark expedition, and included historical displays on the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the expansion of the American West.

The guns on display at this show had more historical significance and interest than most museum firearms collections, and presented a unique opportunity to see pieces that may never be shown to the public in any other forum.

They illustrated dramatically the important role of firearms and the individuals who used them in shaping history, and in securing and preserving the freedoms and rights that Americans enjoy.