Gun enthusiasts thronged to shows around the country on Saturday to buy assault weapons they fear will soon be outlawed after a massacre of school children in Connecticut prompted calls for tighter controls on firearms, Reuters reported.
Reuters
reporters went to gun shows in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Texas, and found long
lines to get in the door, crowds around the dealer booths, a rush to buy assault
weapons even at higher prices and some dealers selling
out.
The busiest
table at the R.K. Gun & Knife show at an exposition center near the Kansas
City, Missouri airport was offering assault weapons near the
entrance.
West Plains,
Missouri dealer Keith's Guns sold out of about 20 AR-15 style assault rifles in
a little over an hour, owner Keith Gray said.
An AR-15 type
assault weapon was among the guns authorities believe suspect Adam Lanza stole
from his mother to use in the massacre of 20 school children and six adults at a
Newtown, Connecticut elementary school on December 14.
The killing of
innocent children at the school shocked the nation and prompted a number of
politicians including President Barack Obama to call for a ban on assault
weapons and ammunition clips that allow the rapid firing of multiple
bullets.
Rather than
tighten gun ownership restrictions, the powerful lobby for gun rights, the
National Rifle Association, on Friday called for armed guards at every
school.
Thousands of
guns shows are held in the United States every year. Gun shows are temporary
exhibitions where firearms and related accessories are sold, according to the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Under federal
law, licensed dealers must conduct a background check before selling to a buyer
at a gun show, but loopholes allow purchases of semi-automatic handguns and
extended magazines without a criminal background check. The Washington
Post In 2000, the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) published the "Following the Gun"
report. The ATF analyzed more than 1,530 trafficking investigations over a
two-and-a-half-year period and found gun shows to be the second leading source
of illegally diverted guns in the nation. Those seeking to
close the "Gun Show Loophole" argue that it provides convicted felons and other
prohibited purchasers with opportunities to evade background checks, as they can
easily buy firearms from private sellers with no accountability or oversight.
The Washington Post Assault weapon
is a broad term commonly used to refer to semi-automatic or automatic weapons
that can fire multiple bullets rapidly. From 1994 to 2004 certain assault
weapons and ammunition clips of more than 10 bullets were illegal. The ban was
allowed to expire when Republican George W. Bush was in the White House.
AP
AHT/ARA
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