Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Why Gun Shows are Important
I have been going to gun shows since I was 18, almost 35 years, and yet it has only struck me recently how important these total expressions of freedom really are. By simple math, in those thirty five years I have probably been to over 100 gun shows, and all of them have three things in common. First, they are peaceful, legal assemblies. I have never seen any violence or any illegal acts being committed at the shows I have attended. Next to going to church, I have never seen any group of people act more respectful of each other. Second, they are completely non-discriminatory. Besides the obvious presence of conservatively appointed white males, I have seen bikers, homies (even hoodies), Blacks, Latinos, Asians, women, open homosexuals, disabled people and all political persuasions attending gun shows, yet I have never seen a exhibitor discriminate against any of these people examining, buying or selling their goods. Finally, they are private. Any one can enter, if they are of legal age or accompanied by an adult guardian, yet no one is questioned, scrutinized, filmed, recorded or made uncomfortable in any way. But, you say, someone will buy a gun at such an event and commit an act of violence!; Probably, but even if not more than 1 in 10,000 sales at a gun show is abused (and no one has evidence that it is even that often), I can say for sure that 1 in 10,000 cars that are purchased at local car lots are involved in an act of violence. The point is that the price of freedom is the risk of the abuse of it, and I can say for sure from personal experience that banning gun shows would be the abuse of the freedom of every American of any (legal) age, race, religion, sexual persuasion, physical ability or political stripe.

By Ray Darnell at 2:05 PM | Permalink
Category: Constitutional Rights | Comments (0)