Finding Loopholes at Hot Springs Gun Show
By: Josh Berry
Updated: January 27, 2013
Gun rights on display this weekend as thousands filled the Hot Springs Convention Center trading, selling and buying hundreds of pieces of merchandise.
The potential for tightened restrictions though stuck on peoples minds as they're not ready to see this process go.
Most discussion there was about the same: the possibility of future restrictions on their way of life.
While they are there however, these loopholes we speak of, harder to find than you might think.
Jacob Fischer carries his merchandise over the shoulder through the show. He's a private seller without a Federal Firearms License.
"Somebody could come up to me in the deer woods and want my rifle," Fischer explained. "I could sell it to them without doing a background check."
As it turns out though you might be hard pressed to find many vendors like Fischer where you can just walk away with a weapon without a background check.
Robert Koerber is a private seller like Fischer selling dozens of modern era weapons and 100 year old collectibles.
He said, "You've got people from Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee probably Mississippi people."
But yes, Koerber along with the other vendors from out of state, have to perform a background check solely because they aren't from Arkansas.
Koerber doesn't argue with it but hopes the other "loopholes" don't close up.
While most of that discussion here is just preaching to the choir, that's not always the case.
John's Honda owner, John Barnett said, "I think the gun sales ought to go through a registered dealer."
This vendor, who sells knives and guns, doesn't think someone like Fischer or Koerber should be able to sell a gun. He says something like universal background checks would help keep people accountable.
"There'd be a paper trail on the guns then."
The potential for tightened restrictions though stuck on peoples minds as they're not ready to see this process go.
Most discussion there was about the same: the possibility of future restrictions on their way of life.
While they are there however, these loopholes we speak of, harder to find than you might think.
Jacob Fischer carries his merchandise over the shoulder through the show. He's a private seller without a Federal Firearms License.
"Somebody could come up to me in the deer woods and want my rifle," Fischer explained. "I could sell it to them without doing a background check."
As it turns out though you might be hard pressed to find many vendors like Fischer where you can just walk away with a weapon without a background check.
Robert Koerber is a private seller like Fischer selling dozens of modern era weapons and 100 year old collectibles.
He said, "You've got people from Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee probably Mississippi people."
But yes, Koerber along with the other vendors from out of state, have to perform a background check solely because they aren't from Arkansas.
Koerber doesn't argue with it but hopes the other "loopholes" don't close up.
While most of that discussion here is just preaching to the choir, that's not always the case.
John's Honda owner, John Barnett said, "I think the gun sales ought to go through a registered dealer."
This vendor, who sells knives and guns, doesn't think someone like Fischer or Koerber should be able to sell a gun. He says something like universal background checks would help keep people accountable.
"There'd be a paper trail on the guns then."
