Northwest Arkansas Gun Show Sees Record Attendance
By: Rebecca Jeffrey, nwahomepage.com
Updated: January 6, 2013
As the firearm debates continue after the tragedy at Sandy Hook, a gun and knife show in Northwest Arkansas has huge turnout.
"There's an awful lot of law abiding citizens that are very much afraid of losing their constitutional right," R.K. Manager, Rex Kehrli said over the phone Saturday.
Thousands were making there way into the first gun show of the year in Northwest Arkansas.
"We've been running quite a few more folks through the shows lately.The crowds are actually doubled," Kehrli said.
But the folks filling the aisles are not just your normal gun collectors.
"It's an awful lot of new people that are showing up at the shows."
It isn't without reason.
"There's more people talking about getting concealed carry licenses since the tragedies, so I think people are coming here trying to get an idea of what it costs to get into the self protection aspect of their lives," local gun owner Phillip Kennedy said.
Even at gun and knife shows like R.K., it's not easy.
"Anytime a patron buys more than two firearms they are required to notify ATF," Kehrli said.
Despite the paper trail, sales are shooting up.
"Certainly I've seen an increase in prices of ammunition and normal weapons that would have been 25, 30 percent less than they were 2 months ago," Kennedy said.
"The guys with the ammunition are having a hard time right now keeping it in stock," Kehrli said.
As for the future, Kehrli doesn't know when the firearm frenzy may end.
"We've never, never seen anything quite like this and so I honestly can't really tell you what to expect, I really don't know."
"There's an awful lot of law abiding citizens that are very much afraid of losing their constitutional right," R.K. Manager, Rex Kehrli said over the phone Saturday.
Thousands were making there way into the first gun show of the year in Northwest Arkansas.
"We've been running quite a few more folks through the shows lately.The crowds are actually doubled," Kehrli said.
But the folks filling the aisles are not just your normal gun collectors.
"It's an awful lot of new people that are showing up at the shows."
It isn't without reason.
"There's more people talking about getting concealed carry licenses since the tragedies, so I think people are coming here trying to get an idea of what it costs to get into the self protection aspect of their lives," local gun owner Phillip Kennedy said.
Even at gun and knife shows like R.K., it's not easy.
"Anytime a patron buys more than two firearms they are required to notify ATF," Kehrli said.
Despite the paper trail, sales are shooting up.
"Certainly I've seen an increase in prices of ammunition and normal weapons that would have been 25, 30 percent less than they were 2 months ago," Kennedy said.
"The guys with the ammunition are having a hard time right now keeping it in stock," Kehrli said.
As for the future, Kehrli doesn't know when the firearm frenzy may end.
"We've never, never seen anything quite like this and so I honestly can't really tell you what to expect, I really don't know."
