So, this weekend, I went to our local once a month gun show. I’ve never been to a gun show before. I fired a .22 gun when I was in the boy scouts and that’s about it for me regarding my gun knowledge.
I was expecting a freak show. You know, an overweight mullet fest in camoflauge gear. And to be fair, there was a bit of that. But it was mainly normal looking people. Men, women, even some kids wandering around. Shopping for guns. Buying guns. Walking around carrying the guns they just bought. I could have bought a gun.
Weird things I noticed
[ul]
[li]people selling Nazi souvenirs[/li][li]a large cross over with other expos - stalls selling dollies and movie posters[/li][li]Hi Opal![/li][li]A stall selling explosive bullets “for extinguishing fires”[/li][li]Policemen shopping for guns - this just weirded me out totally[/ul] [/li]
So, what did I buy ? A jar of pickled garlic, a big chunk of smoked ham and a knife. A Titanium kitchen knife that is
:wally
Wasn’t there a waiting period? I’ve never been to a gun show but I get your point. I’m against gun control but " Explosive Bullets?" Seems a bit much. (Sure to catch hell for this)
I am in no way shape or form a gun expert. I went with my friend Jose, who is. Apparently, the law in Texas is that I can purchase a gun (not sure what types) from a private individual at a gun show with no background checks. That’s scary. Anyway, Jose has invited out to shoot up some local wildlife (or maybe just a tree), which might be fun - especially as he mainly uses muzzle loaders.
Chain shot, flechette rounds, all sorts of whacky ammo available.
And a “Save the Rainforest” stall, which looked a LITTLE out of place.
I keep hearing about gunshows that sell more random flea market stuff than guns, but around here the vendors mostly stick to guns and gun stuff, knives, books and militaria.
Some of the most interesting things I’ve seen:
automatic knives (apparently legal to own but not to carry)
ammo from all different countries. I bought a box of Israeli 5.56 as a conversation piece: “That’s Hebrew for ‘Never Again’”
a 37mm launcher, which is not legally considered a firearm. I shoulda bought that one.
many of the dealers are quite elderly
vendors selling the same ammo in a wooden box for considerably more than in cardboard boxes, because people like to keep the boxes.
people selling individual cartridges to collectors
a triple-size cutaway model of a military rifle that was used for teaching recruits
when I went to a show in San-Rafeal CA there were signs posted everywhere reading: " gun sales and transactions illegal on the premisis" and there was a cop-looking dude at the door to inspect your stuff to make sure you weren’t buying a weapon.At least thats what I thought he was there for. When I passed he asked “buy any guns today” ,“Nope” I said without a pause…
As far as I know, the waiting period and background check only apply to transactions from dealers (not between private individuals) and only apply to handguns (this pertains to the state where Tap and I live).
So Tap could have bought a “long gun” from an individual (and probably would have if it had a corkscrew and came in blindingly bright colors).
The gun show scene has suffered in recent years and I don’t see the crowds like I used to, this is probably why there are “flea market” type things going on.
I have never heard of exploding, fire fighting bullets but I will look into it.
I enjoy the gun shows because I can search out the types of guns I want to collect. The vendors are usually older men and women and often work in a husband and wife teams, they travel from show to show. The gun shows also have booths dedicated to selling books, recipes, kitchen items, and the general run of the mill swap meet items. As with any gathering of individuals selling items at a temporary location for a short time, buyer beware, you can’t take the item back to the store if you find out it is less than you thought it was.
Waiting periods only apply to handguns in most states, and only if you are buying from a dealer (as opposed to a guy with five guns he is trying to get rid of, not 150 he’s selling as part of his business).
And explosive bullets are next to useless, so I’ve heard. Apparently, when they hit, they dentonate, creating a shallow crator in the skin that doesn’t do a whole lot to stop whoever you are shooting (presumably for self defense, I hope). I kinda like my bullets to go in and do some damage. If I shoot someone, I want to make them stop moving, or stop approaching, at least. Explosive bullets do not contribute to that in any meaningful way.
I used to go to gun shows, but stopped for three reasons:
You have to pay to get in at most, and money is kinda tight at the moment.
I hate being able to look around but not be able to buy anything if I don’t have money.
If I do have money, I usally come out without any(granted, I don’t mind this one so much )
Woe behold me if I come into a lot of money. I’d need to take a small truck in there with me to haul everything out I’d want to buy. (Hell, I don’t even shoot them that much. I just like to buy them).
I bought at a gun show in GA about 5 years ago, and they had an Instant Background Check, where the call called a number, left my social, and waiting about ten minutes to see if I was a bad man. There was a show here last weekend but we didn’t go.
You might be in louisiana, but I am off of the coast of louisiana (just barely, I can see it from here) so I don’t think that qualifies as “in louisiana”, technically, I am in HELL!!! (bored to tears, can you say frac attack, I knew you could).
Tap,
I was thinking about you the other day, have you ever seen a “rabbit” corkscrew?, do they work?.
OMG, I am so bored that I am discussing corkscrews on the web, my life is officially meaningless now.
I thought waiting periods were a result of federal background checks,no?I thought that at the time federal background checks were mandated that the system was slower then, hence the waiting period. Now that the system is faster that you dont have to wait unless there’s a “delay”( when they scrutinize more) no?
)