SEMO Gun Show vendors go 'by the books'

Handguns, sporting rifles, hunting accessories, and knives were among the most sought-after items this weekend at a three-day gun show at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau, exhibitors said Sunday.

About 100 vendors were set up at the SEMO Gun Show, an event held locally for more than 35 years and in the Arena Building for about 20, according to Brad Moore, co-organizer of the event.

Moore said all exhibitors are required to follow state and federal gun laws, and many are a Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer.

Bill Hovis, a vendor from Wayne County, Mo., said while he saw several sales of concealable weapons at this year's SEMO Gun Show, he buys, sells and trades mostly hunting rifles.

"I deal in things I like," he said. "I'm a sporting person. I like to hunt."

Hovis sticks to local shows, he said, because he knows many of other exhibitors.

"I know most of the dealers here," he said. "It's mostly good, old country guys. We're just a bunch of people who live in the area."

As an FFL dealer, the process of a sale is routine, he said. The buyer fills out the appropriate forms and a background check is performed on each person.

Norm Coleman, who operates Norm's Guns Inc. in of Maryland Heights, Mo., follows the same process, he said. License holders are also required to register each sale.

"I do everything right by the law," he said. "Everything I do is by the books."

Coleman does around 26 shows per year and in the last six months he said he has seen an increase in handgun sales at the events where he has had a booth. Buyers have been citing in-home protection or target shooting as a reason for purchasing the firearms, Coleman said Sunday.

"Business has picked up," Coleman said. "Very few come in to trade."

Bill Foulk of Scott City, a vendor showing mostly antique guns -- including several Colt revolvers and Winchester rifles -- recorded a decline in sales. He said vintage firearms gather more interest at bigger shows, like in Tulsa, Okla., or Louisville, Ky., where there's more than 500 or 1,000 tables. As a vendor showing vintage guns exclusively, Foulk isn't required to be a FFL license holder.

"Maybe it will pick up when the economy gets better," said Foulk, who was proud to be showing a rifle made in Cape Girardeau by the Bahn Brothers. The brothers owned a hardware store on Main Street, where they celebrated their 100th anniversary in 1960.

The rifle, with a 43-inch barrel, would normally sell for around $2,500, but Foulk said he'd let it go for $1,800.

Some vendors, like Tony Cain of Bertrand, Mo., don't dabble in gun sales at all. Cain, who does less than 10 shows a year, offers more than 4,000 different sporting-type products, including home decor.

He said most people he had encountered over the weekend were interested in purchasing fixed-blade hunting knives.

"I've had a good weekend," Cain said. "Part of why I do shows like this, for one, is to meet wholesale stores and other vendors."

ehevern@semissourian.com

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