So it was that after penetrating the perimiter security at my local Frederick gun show in Maryland this weekend (guard towers, dog patrols, land mines), I actually got to see some guns.
It was a lot like an old militaria show as opposed to your actual, genuine gun show, I overheard one old guy comment "nothing but damned knives and old military crap", well you can't have too many Klingon Batliths and deactivated mortar shells around the house says I, but I digress.
There was a not entirely surprising lack of new handguns, there were a few H&Ks, fewer Berettas, a handful of Glocks, and lots and lots or rusty old .38 Special revolvers, which is funny in a strange sort of way, I mean, just why has Maryland cornered the market in 4 inch blued .38 specials from the 1960s, and moreover, why do they cost $300 ?
So it was that I spied some new SiGs, there was that SiGPro SP2340 that just plain calls to me as a great sidearm, price $550, hmmm that's a tad steep, so I browse on when I see the feminine form of a box standard P239 in .40S&W (I really only want the 9mm but I look anyway), the tag dangles there in front of me, I look at it, it looks at me, and there we stand, frozen in time, staring at the numbers 7-6-9 and then the letters S-A-L-E-P-R-I-C-E, that's right $769 plus tax on SALE. I pass it back as if it were made of Kryptonite, which for that price it very well could have been.
So it was that I realized my handgun buying days are over for the duration of my sentence in this state.
Moral of the story - if you have to move here, stock up on your wish list before you move, because its going to be a long hard Winter.
It was a lot like an old militaria show as opposed to your actual, genuine gun show, I overheard one old guy comment "nothing but damned knives and old military crap", well you can't have too many Klingon Batliths and deactivated mortar shells around the house says I, but I digress.
There was a not entirely surprising lack of new handguns, there were a few H&Ks, fewer Berettas, a handful of Glocks, and lots and lots or rusty old .38 Special revolvers, which is funny in a strange sort of way, I mean, just why has Maryland cornered the market in 4 inch blued .38 specials from the 1960s, and moreover, why do they cost $300 ?
So it was that I spied some new SiGs, there was that SiGPro SP2340 that just plain calls to me as a great sidearm, price $550, hmmm that's a tad steep, so I browse on when I see the feminine form of a box standard P239 in .40S&W (I really only want the 9mm but I look anyway), the tag dangles there in front of me, I look at it, it looks at me, and there we stand, frozen in time, staring at the numbers 7-6-9 and then the letters S-A-L-E-P-R-I-C-E, that's right $769 plus tax on SALE. I pass it back as if it were made of Kryptonite, which for that price it very well could have been.
So it was that I realized my handgun buying days are over for the duration of my sentence in this state.
Moral of the story - if you have to move here, stock up on your wish list before you move, because its going to be a long hard Winter.
