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Gun Show Busier As Patrons Fear Restrictions

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By LAURA FRAZIER

lfrazier@tampatrib.com

Published: December 8, 2008

TAMPA - Mark and Connie Thomas went to their first gun show Saturday at the Florida State Fairgrounds, where throngs of people packed the parking lot and swamped the Charles M. Davis Special Events Center.

The Valrico couple paused on their way out of the Tampa Gun Show to ogle a steady stream of patrons filing in and out of the center. Inside, hundreds of gun dealers and private collectors displayed an imposing cache of handguns, rifles, ammunition and accessories for sale or trade.

"The crowds are just unbelievable. It's really busy in there," Connie Thomas said. "And when you walk through, you keep hearing one word over and over again: Obama."

Stephen Lyons of Sarasota said traffic at gun shows across Central Florida, like the one that ended in Tampa Sunday, has skyrocketed.

"It's unbelievable since the presidential election," said Lyons, an NRA-certified firearms instructor who came to help a friend buy a gun for protection.

Many people at the gun show Saturday said they believe the Obama administration will try to push through legislation introduced by Congress in 2007 banning the manufacture, sale and possession of semiautomatic rifles and ammunition. Many also fear Obama will broaden the ban to include other types of weapons and ammunition.

"People are hedging their bets against the possibility that law-abiding citizens won't be able to buy guns or ammunition to protect themselves," Lyons said.

Fear of a gun ban wasn't the only reason for the frenzy at the fairgrounds, according to Patrick Patterson of Monteverde.

"The economy is bad, and there's more crime," he said.

John Allen of Port Richey said a show in Orlando about a week ago was nearly as busy as Tampa's.

"Ever since the election, every show you go to is bigger than the last one," Allen said.

Scott Patrick, general manager of Shoot Straight, a gun shop and shooting range across from the fairgrounds, said gun sales at his store have increased dramatically since the election and that enrollment has doubled in the concealed weapons classes he offers.

Demand for AK-47 and AR-15 semiautomatic rifles has been overwhelming, and the store's stock of the assault weapons is about half what it was in November, he said. It's next to impossible to find the guns for customers who use them for hunting, target practice and gun competitions.

Patrick likened the demand for high-powered firearms to car buffs' love of high-end sports cars.

"Why do you need a Corvette 206? You don't need it, and you'll never max out its horsepower, but it's sexy and high-powered," he said. "Same thing with the semiautomatics."

He agrees with many of his customers who fear federal legislation will only serve to restrict law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves.

"Criminals will get guns someplace," Patrick said.

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523.

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