ROOM TO GROW

By Mike Wells ~ Southeast Missourian

Firearm and knife vendors from throughout Missouri and nearby states showcased their wares Friday afternoon at the Missouri Gun and Knife Show at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

All 250 tables at the event were filled by vendors, though not all had arrived by Friday afternoon, organizer J.D. King said. Previous gun and knife shows have been at Arena Park.

"This is our first time here at the Show Me Center," he said. "We moved here because we're looking to expand for future shows."

The event attracted 852 visitors, some stopping in to buy or trade, others merely to view vintage firearms and blades.

Vendor Owen Sherer of Jackson has been showing guns and military paraphernalia for about two years. The average price of one of his vintage rifles is $300. Sherer expects to sell about five guns at this weekend's show.

Knife vendors made up about 30 percent of the show's exhibitors, and with the emphasis on guns, it can difficult for those selling blades to make sales.

"Sometimes I do good and sometimes I do bad," said Carl Edwards, who has been showing knives since 1981. "I think the economy has something to do with it."Legal requirements

In Missouri, handgun owners must obtain permits from their county sheriff's department and undergo a criminal background check. The waiting period for buying a handgun in Missouri is seven days. There is no waiting period to purchase a long gun. The Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department is running background checks on handgun sales at this weekend's show.

"That's a big help to the dealers at our show, because it saves them the hassle of having to run and get the checks done properly themselves," King said.

In Missouri, all federally licensed gun dealers are required to make criminal background checks for all handgun and long gun sales. However, private sellers aren't required to do so for long gun sales. This is one reason why the majority of firearms at gun shows are rifles and shotguns.

While Missouri handgun sellers are required to run background checks on their customers, 32 other states do not require this of their non-licensed, private dealers, according to Americans for Gun Safety. This is commonly called a "gun show loop hole," something some legislators want to close in all states.

Criminals try to avoid background checks at gun shows through a "straw purchaser," a legal gun buyer who acts as a surrogate for a criminal who wants a gun. It is nearly impossible for a dealer to know whether someone is making a straw purchase, which has been a federal felony since 1968.

"I don't think there's any 100 percent way you can tell for sure," said gun dealer Mickey Hindman of Marion, Ill.

Hindman was one of the few vendors offering handguns at the event. He has sold guns at shows for the past five years.

"The most common question I get is 'Is there any paperwork on them to fill out?'" he said. "They don't want to do the background checks, but anyone who sells guns that way is crazy."

Cape Girardeau resident Phillip Ordonia believes gun shows are not a threat to safe communities and do not provide any more guns to criminals than do the stores that sell them.

"You can buy guns anywhere," he said. "Gun shows are just another market for them. There's always a few people that ruin it for everyone, but gun shows are safe. Most of the guns sold at shows are rifles, not handguns, which are what usually are used in crimes."

Lisa Letner of Cape Girardeau said gun shows teach safe gun ownership.

"My husband has a couple of guns, and I think it's fine to got to the show because it is a safe way to learn about firearms," Letner said. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

The next Missouri Gun and Knife Show in Cape Girardeau is scheduled for March 14-16, 2003, at the Show Me Center.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160