Titan6
member
The following is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
Ahhh, the gun show a place where all things guns are bought and bought and sold. Dreams of greed are made to come true.
I remember the gun show from a couple a years ago the last time I went. Park up front breeze though in a half hour, pick up some cheap ammo. Try to find a nice piece someone is willing to part with, maybe pickup an accessory or two. Never crowded, not really cheap but the occasional deal.
Not today. Not anymore. The lot is full. I can see hundreds of cars. There is the obligatory man with the oxygen tank trying to sell discretely on the side of the road about a 1/2 mile out. As I approach the doors there are signs everywhere "NO LOADED WEAPONS, NO EXCEPTIONS". I am open carrying today so I go ahead and comply. I present my carry weapon to be made safe by the impermeable barrier of the cable tie. The nice policeman asks me if I have a magazine. Of course I do and present it as well. He takes the magazine and unloads the rounds in a neat pile with a dozen or so other piles and asks if I have more magazines, I do not.
The crowd appears to have reached the fire law limit and the only way to view tables is to get in line and move with the flow. But what are on these tables? Table #1 holds a variety of no-name plain jane AR's. I know that the gun shop about two miles down the road has about a dozen of these in stock for $800-1000. I know this because I was there yesterday. Not here... Not Today. Here they start $1200 and go till.... the sky might be the limit. But why are they so much? Let us listen in to the first of many eye opening conversations of the day;
Dealer: "Yes that is right I was talking to the State Police. They told me that they had approved 40,000 background checks last month. You multiply that by 50 states and that makes 2,000,000 guns sold last month. Of those like 95% of them were assault weapons or high capacity autos.....
Sucker: Yep Obama is going to ban these guns everybody knows it.
Dealer: I can run you a check right now.....
But the line is moving. No time to dally not when every booth is full and guns are everywhere.... on to the next booth. What is this? An M14? Let me sneak a peak. $985! What a steal! Hmmm the barrel seems crooked some how. Something is fishy here.... Ahh Made in China stamped on the receiver. A reworked model of pitiful quality.
Dealer: "That is fine rifle there."
Me: "I am sure it is, it just isn't what I am looking for right now."
Time to move along.... ahh ammo. The prime reason for coming to the gun show. Some Belgian .308 1982 vintage. I had thought this was all gone. One can left.
Me: "How much?"
Dealer (with straight face): "$.75 a round"
Me: (Slightly stunned): You know Walmart sells brand new Federal soft points for $12.50 a box?
Dealer (Angry): "They do not!"
Me (Annoyed): "Uhh actually they do, the one right over there" (I point in the general direction of Walmart)
Dealer (snooty): "Well after taxes it is the same" (Turns back to me)
I wonder if he was going to break the law and sell it to me tax free. I kind of doubt it. At the same time I don't doubt someone else will buy it either.
Next we have the bulk seller. He has cases and cases of Wolf but insists that his supply is drying up due to new regulations from Obama. I wonder how Obama is passing regulations as he is only the "President Elect" but then I have never seen a President Elect hold so many press conferences either. He tells another man that he can reload the berdan primed steel case ammo with special equipment. I wonder if the man will buy the special equipment that is needed. A recycling center and steel mill come to mind. These are out of my price range.
There are some good honest dealers I recognize from years past and many new faces as well. Many of the new dealers have either really cheap hand guns or really expensive ARs, AKs, and SKS. $900 seems high to me for a beat-up AK, $500 for nice condition SKS to much
One of the more honest dealers has a Colt Python for sale for $985. Normally a bargain in today's market it is missing the original grips that have been replaced with what could be best described as an end of a 2X4 sanded down to fit. It is also loose. Shows a lot of holster wear. Going to have to pass.
What is this? An old man with a cane and a backpack. He has a sign on his pack "NiB HD High Standard Made 1947 $800". "Never been fired ehh?? Not bad, lets have a look old timer...." He pulls out a badly dinged up High Standard that looks like it has about 5000 rounds through it. Going to have to pass on that one....
The guns are disappearing off the tables even though they are going for 20-40% over local shop prices. As I head to the car empty handed I wonder about the big crowds at the shows and wonder what keeps the people coming back and buying. Must be the hysteria, that is the only explanation for it.
Ahhh, the gun show a place where all things guns are bought and bought and sold. Dreams of greed are made to come true.
I remember the gun show from a couple a years ago the last time I went. Park up front breeze though in a half hour, pick up some cheap ammo. Try to find a nice piece someone is willing to part with, maybe pickup an accessory or two. Never crowded, not really cheap but the occasional deal.
Not today. Not anymore. The lot is full. I can see hundreds of cars. There is the obligatory man with the oxygen tank trying to sell discretely on the side of the road about a 1/2 mile out. As I approach the doors there are signs everywhere "NO LOADED WEAPONS, NO EXCEPTIONS". I am open carrying today so I go ahead and comply. I present my carry weapon to be made safe by the impermeable barrier of the cable tie. The nice policeman asks me if I have a magazine. Of course I do and present it as well. He takes the magazine and unloads the rounds in a neat pile with a dozen or so other piles and asks if I have more magazines, I do not.
The crowd appears to have reached the fire law limit and the only way to view tables is to get in line and move with the flow. But what are on these tables? Table #1 holds a variety of no-name plain jane AR's. I know that the gun shop about two miles down the road has about a dozen of these in stock for $800-1000. I know this because I was there yesterday. Not here... Not Today. Here they start $1200 and go till.... the sky might be the limit. But why are they so much? Let us listen in to the first of many eye opening conversations of the day;
Dealer: "Yes that is right I was talking to the State Police. They told me that they had approved 40,000 background checks last month. You multiply that by 50 states and that makes 2,000,000 guns sold last month. Of those like 95% of them were assault weapons or high capacity autos.....
Sucker: Yep Obama is going to ban these guns everybody knows it.
Dealer: I can run you a check right now.....
But the line is moving. No time to dally not when every booth is full and guns are everywhere.... on to the next booth. What is this? An M14? Let me sneak a peak. $985! What a steal! Hmmm the barrel seems crooked some how. Something is fishy here.... Ahh Made in China stamped on the receiver. A reworked model of pitiful quality.
Dealer: "That is fine rifle there."
Me: "I am sure it is, it just isn't what I am looking for right now."
Time to move along.... ahh ammo. The prime reason for coming to the gun show. Some Belgian .308 1982 vintage. I had thought this was all gone. One can left.
Me: "How much?"
Dealer (with straight face): "$.75 a round"
Me: (Slightly stunned): You know Walmart sells brand new Federal soft points for $12.50 a box?
Dealer (Angry): "They do not!"
Me (Annoyed): "Uhh actually they do, the one right over there" (I point in the general direction of Walmart)
Dealer (snooty): "Well after taxes it is the same" (Turns back to me)
I wonder if he was going to break the law and sell it to me tax free. I kind of doubt it. At the same time I don't doubt someone else will buy it either.
Next we have the bulk seller. He has cases and cases of Wolf but insists that his supply is drying up due to new regulations from Obama. I wonder how Obama is passing regulations as he is only the "President Elect" but then I have never seen a President Elect hold so many press conferences either. He tells another man that he can reload the berdan primed steel case ammo with special equipment. I wonder if the man will buy the special equipment that is needed. A recycling center and steel mill come to mind. These are out of my price range.
There are some good honest dealers I recognize from years past and many new faces as well. Many of the new dealers have either really cheap hand guns or really expensive ARs, AKs, and SKS. $900 seems high to me for a beat-up AK, $500 for nice condition SKS to much
One of the more honest dealers has a Colt Python for sale for $985. Normally a bargain in today's market it is missing the original grips that have been replaced with what could be best described as an end of a 2X4 sanded down to fit. It is also loose. Shows a lot of holster wear. Going to have to pass.
What is this? An old man with a cane and a backpack. He has a sign on his pack "NiB HD High Standard Made 1947 $800". "Never been fired ehh?? Not bad, lets have a look old timer...." He pulls out a badly dinged up High Standard that looks like it has about 5000 rounds through it. Going to have to pass on that one....
The guns are disappearing off the tables even though they are going for 20-40% over local shop prices. As I head to the car empty handed I wonder about the big crowds at the shows and wonder what keeps the people coming back and buying. Must be the hysteria, that is the only explanation for it.
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