Went to the gun show today

[Absintheur]

I was very surprised...not at the prices on firearms, matter of fact there were a lot of great deals such as S&W MP-15s for under 900, Bushmaster Varmints for under 1100, AKs priced at the same prices they brought last summer. Even ammo was reasonable. What surprised my was the pricing on parts and accessories. A stripped GI bolt carrier for an AR was $125...that was sans gas tube key. Magazines were double what you can buy them for online. And knives...just plain silly on those prices. The silly prices also extended to people trying to sell personal guns...I saw more than 1 SKS with a sign on it that said $350 firm. I was hoping to pick up some AR parts as well as a few other things like a barrel for a Browning Buckmark (the two I saw were double retail)...no luck at all.

It was pretty much a waste of time and 10 dollar entry fee for me.

 

[one45auto]

Guns everywhere are selling fast and at high prices because people know that if there's one issue the Democrats love, it's gun control.

 

[Guyon]

I was very surprised...not at the prices on firearms, matter of fact there were a lot of great deals such as S&W MP-15s for under 900, Bushmaster Varmints for under 1100, AKs priced at the same prices they brought last summer. Even ammo was reasonable.

Well, it's good to hear that at least some of the craziness is stabilizing.

 

[David E]

Well, it's good to hear that at least some of the craziness is stabilizing.

If it is, then it's the lull before the real storm.

.

 

[bradpierson26]

my buddy went to a gun show in boise this morning and he said there were fair prices on guns but the knife prices were maybe 20% high.

 

[TLR]

I haven't found a good deal on a knife at a gun show in a couple of years. It's really sad.

 

[Jason B.]

Gun and knife shows have become a rip off. There is a knife dealer at the one I go to that charges over retail for everything... $199 for a BM710, $275 for a EKI commander the list goes on and on.

 

[Absintheur]

You may have people selling firearms at reasonable prices simply because they are afraid if the don't sell them now the won't be allowed to sell them later...sort of dump them before ya get stuck with them. And yes that can happen. I was stuck with about 10,000 rounds of 7.62X39 that it became illegal to sell in my store some years back.

But the prices on other things just amazed me. The Browning Ice Storms are made by Mcusta and are great knives but CDNN is selling them fo 30 bucks and one guy at the show had 90 dollar price tags on them.

 

[Psychopomp]

Guns everywhere are selling fast and at high prices because people know that if there's one issue the Democrats love, it's gun control.

Paranoia drives prices way up. Get enough people thinking that bread is going to be banned and watch the price of bread go way up. Problem is, the people bitching about the problem are the ones creating the problem. Prices will even out once the paranoia disappears, I hope (there's a sweet little 1911 at the shop in town that I've got my eye on but can't afford, and guess what? I'm a liberal democrat ).

That being said, every gun or knife show I've ever been to was a ripoff. It has more to do with the costs the dealers have to pay for travel and set up than anything. That and a lot of people will buy something just because it's there and they're there and they want to walk away knowing that the trip wasn't a waste of time. Kinda like people who come back from the beach with seashells glued to some wood. They didn't need it, but it was there, and the dealers know that and can charge anything they want.

The only redeeming quality of gun and knife shows is that you can handle and play with things, you can't do that online. I go just to look and see knowing I can get a better deal somewhere else.

 

[zenheretic]

: That and a lot of people will buy something just because it's there and they're there and they want to walk away knowing that the trip wasn't a waste of time.

Yep. If you watch two side by side tables, one with a collector selling a few "rusty" old revolvers, and the other selling fantasy knives, and cheap knockoffs, you'll see the collector maybe sell a few if he is lucky enough to have some buyers who know what he is selling and maybe make a few bucks. The other guy will be busy all day long, making hanover fi$t$. If I ever got back into the gunshow game, (which is about impossible after Clinton mucked up the dealer licenses), I'd be sure to have some cheap trinkets for the mindless masses to trade for the $49-99 burning a hole in their pockets. Maybe some 1 million volt stun guns and Gurgan the Destroyer blades. Also some real guns too though.

 

[SIFU1A]

imho its been a while since ya could find real deals at gun shows, i usually can find better deals online, on just about everything, at best the prices will be about the same as online, at best.

i enjoy going to shows, and the occasional deal comes up now and again, but it aint like it was 10 or 15 yrs ago,

 

[wewaslim]

I also attended a show yesterday in the Florida Panhandle. Everything here is crazy. Wolf .223 ammo $ 350.00 per 1000; AR15 metal mags $ 30.00 each; AR uppers in the $ 900.00 range; etc. A bare bones Mini 14 was $ 600 plus. I've never seen anything like it. It seems that everyone has gotten so scared, they will buy anything. I certainly hope things will calm down soon, but really don't expect it through 2009. Best to all. Bill.

 

[wutitiz]

The funny thing is, I don't really think Obama and the Dems are going to touch guns with a 10 foot pole. Too many of them still remember losing the house in 1994. At worst they might finally pass a federal ban on private sales, i.e. the so-called gun show loophole. Even that will be done only if they are sure that there will be minimal backlash.

Obama and co have bigger fish to fry and will not want to waste political capital on this. I expect that true-believer anti-gunners are shifting to a long range war, maybe try to get something done thru the U.N. That's a long shot too, of course, put probably better than trying to beat the NRA on its own turf.

 

[Bufford]

Ah the calm before the storm. The liberals did the same thing here. While they made hints that guncontrol was part of their agenda, they took their time and patience like a cat does before it pounces on the mouse.

If I were an American, I would be very wary right now with this new Obama government. Sure the white house is busy with all sorts of problems from the economy to world wide issues, but don't let your guard down. Right now at this very moment there is a pot on the back of the political stove that is labled 'guncontrol'.

It won't boil over right away, infact it may take a few more elections. But once the left is firmly established, expect that pot to boil over and take firearms owners by surprise.

The guncontrol lobby is both very clever and patient, just waiting to strike at the right moment (for them). They do it alittle bit at a time in slow sneaky ways.

In Canada, 25 to 30 years ago all we needed to aquire firearms was a hunting license and be the age of 16 to own a long gun. Handgun registration was as straightforward as filling out a form, bring the handgun into the police station for paperwork and often a compliment from the officer if it was a nice gun, and then take the gun home.

Today, its a long costly process of gun courses, back ground checks, fees, and renewals of permits, not to mention all the regs as to when, where and how you can use your gun, not to mention storage requirements. At any time police can enter your home and confiscate your guns.

Handguns, that is even more complex. The very right to even own a handgun is presently being debated in this country.

Take guncontrol seriously, just as you would protect your interests from thieves.

 

[one45auto]

Paranoia drives prices way up. Get enough people thinking that bread is going to be banned and watch the price of bread go way up. Problem is, the people bitching about the problem are the ones creating the problem. Prices will even out once the paranoia disappears, I hope (there's a sweet little 1911 at the shop in town that I've got my eye on but can't afford, and guess what? I'm a liberal democrat ).

It's not paranoia, it's past experience. If you examine the history of gun control you'll find that the perpetrators are overwhelmingly Democrats. They are the party which pushed the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. They're the ones who've cozied up to Sarah Brady (especially during the Clinton years) and attempted to give her every item on her wish list short of a handgun ban - which Diane Feinstein lamented wasn't feasible because they didn't have a majority of the votes, although she damned sure wanted it. Why, they even tried to sue the gun manufacturers out of business through frivilous lawsuits and pushed the idea of gun permits - a perfect vehicle to enact a back door ban by simply raising the requirements to the point where few, if any, citizens can truly qualify.

The Democrats have raised or pushed the issue again and again, despite the fact that it cost them control of Congress in 94' and that the general public doesn't want it. They pissed and moaned when Bush allowed the AWB to expire in 2004 and now that they're in power again you and I both know the issue will come up sooner or later. They'll pass another assault weapons ban if for no other reason than to childishly thumb thier noses at Bush and get thier petty revenge for his refusal to renew it. They hate him with a burning passion and are as keen as mustard to undo his policies on every front. Oh, and let's not forget Obama's comment on the campaign trail about how residents of small-town America "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them" out of bitterness over lost jobs. Ever seen his voting record on gun issues? Or his comments on the subject before the election?

It's not paranoia to buy plywood and nails when a hurricane is heading your way.

 

[ThinkOfTheChildren]

Paranoia drives prices way up. Get enough people thinking that bread is going to be banned and watch the price of bread go way up. Problem is, the people bitching about the problem are the ones creating the problem.

Well, you're half right. Fear has an incredible impact on the market and some establishments are actively spreading this fear in their own financial interest. That said, the people complaining (I guess you mean a chunk of the gun community) are not the ones who "created" the problem. More on that in a sec...

The funny thing is, I don't really think Obama and the Dems are going to touch guns with a 10 foot pole.

It's right there on his website you guys. It has been since he was in the primaries:

http://origin.barackobama.com/issues/urban_policy/

Address Gun Violence in Cities: As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

[Emphasis added... not that the other parts aren't also relevant]

I guess the Law Enforcement Officers of America belong on foreign battlefields according to Mr. Obama.

This is what "created" the fear: that and his past voting record and action. It's not like gun-owning Americans just woke up one day crapping their pants and said "Oh lordy a librul black prez. He must wunt ma guns fer no reason!"
The gun community is organized (far more so than in '94) and far more intelligent than that. We saw what happened in '94 and we know it can happen again (and worse).

With all that said, I don't think he'll go near it until his second term. I don't have any hard facts: that's just a prediction. It is a sticky issue and if he tries too soon he could jeopardize re-election as well as be met with a lot of "We told you so!" after he tried so hard to say he "respects the 2nd Amendment." He'll wait until people have their guard down a little, is in his second term, and then we can expect the storm...

 

[beefangusbeef]

With all that said, I don't think he'll go near it until his second term. I don't have any hard facts: that's just a prediction.

I believe it'll come sooner than later. It's one promise he can make good on that costs very little. Something he can easily deliver to his liberal following while trying to address issues that are more complex: economy, war, health care, etc. I could be wrong though. He might not want to alienate gun owners so fast.....

 

[Tim-Gabz]

I would say that after this last, galvanised election more people are aware of the threat to legal handgun ownership. Obama has a anti gun track record. He also got in with considerable support of anti gun groups, or groups that were also anti gun. He has to appear to be less warlike, less anything Republicans supported while facing the harsh realities of the post he is taking over. He may choose to move on gun bans simply to prove he is active?

It is going to be a really interesting 24 months

 

[wutitiz]

They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

The Bush administration was also on record as supporting the AWB, but never did anything to make it happen. I can see the "gun show loophole" ban on private sales (w/o NIC check) going thru. This is already in effect in most states, so it would effect a relatively small number of gun owners, and so probably not create a huge backlash.

The AWB I do not think is going to happen--just my opinion of course, but I would put money on it. (hmmm, I wonder if that is on Intrade.com.

 

[zenheretic]

The Bush administration was also on record as supporting the AWB, but never did anything to make it happen. I can see the "gun show loophole" ban on private sales (w/o NIC check) going thru. This is already in effect in most states, so it would effect a relatively small number of gun owners, and so probably not create a huge backlash.

The AWB I do not think is going to happen--just my opinion of course, but I would put money on it. (hmmm, I wonder if that is on Intrade.com.

Removing a citizens right to sell personal property is not a good thing.

First all transfers will have to go through a licensed dealer. Then the fees will be increased while the numbers of licensed dealers is decreased. "Hey we aren't infringing, it is all common sense gun laws..."