Proposed Maryland legislation triggers explosion of sales at Howard County gun show

Seeing throngs of people standing in long lines for rock concerts and sporting events is a commonplace occurrence. Not so common is the sight witnessed last Saturday morning in Howard County as hundreds waited in a light rain to enter the Silverado Gun Show.

The Silverado Gun Show is a series of two-day events held at various venues across the area. Licensed firearms dealers and vendors of ammunition, antique arms, military and hunting and camping gear rent table space to display their products to large, cash-carrying crowds.

Some in line were there specifically to look at the guns, while others were hoping to pick up parts, ammunition and survival essentials. Those waiting in the rain could only watch, as early birds exited the building carrying packed shopping bags and weighty ammunition cans. Business was booming at the gun show, and buyers and vendors agreed that political rhetoric and pending legislation were the driving forces behind the boom.

Robert, a retired educator, said he already has all the guns he needs and just came to the show to look around. Reflecting on the long line to get into the exhibition hall, Robert, who like most did not want their last name used, said, “I’ve been coming to shows like this for years, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The mid-morning wait to enter the show was about 20 minutes. Once inside the door, the crowd split between those paying to enter the show and those who were signing up to join the National Rifle Association. (Admission to the show was free to those joining the NRA or renewing their membership.)

Franklin Krasner, the no-nonsense promoter for the Silverado Gun Show, told the Baltimore Post-Examiner that attendance at all of his events has gone up significantly. Krasner said, “I have been doing these shows for over twenty years, and anyone will tell you I run a ‘clean’ show.”

gunshow1Krasner’s assertion that he runs his shows by the book was evidenced in a number of ways. One was the very visible presence of law enforcement at the event. Another was the teams of professionals scrutinizing state and federal firearm purchase applications before calling in background checks. But perhaps most telling was the way Krasner continued to survey the hall while giving an interview.

At one point, he abruptly excused himself to personally check the length of a sellers “coach” gun – a short, double barreled shotgun – to make sure that it was legal (it was.) Krasner expressed disappointment that his event in Prince Georges County had to be canceled (“politics” he said) but maintained he will continue as planned with upcoming shows in Martinsburg, West Virginia and Frederick, Maryland.

White males made up the majority of buyers at the show, but the crowd included a mix from every race. There were also a number of women shopping for firearms. Marie, a single woman from northern Virginia, said she was looking for a revolver in caliber .357 for personal protection. She saw two that she liked, each manufactured by Taurus, but was frustrated that both were in the lighter caliber .38.

“I asked the salesman if he had that model in .357 but all he said was, ‘Unavailable.’”

The same was true for a woman who was looking for a small-framed ‘Lady’ Smith & Wesson. Several dealers told me they haven’t seen that model for quite some time.

Also unavailable were many of the military style guns which have come under fire – the so-called assault rifles. Prices have skyrocketed on semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 and AK-47. But even so, dealers cannot keep the weapons on the shelf.

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Not just collectors are buying guns at these shows that are drawing huge crowds.

One dealer had several racks of long guns which any western movie fan would recognize: lever action Winchesters along with similar models manufactured by Marlin and Rossi. These guns are popular with collectors as well as with the cowboy action shooting set. But some potential buyers wondered if these iconic weapons too may face tougher scrutiny under proposed legislation, because often the tubular magazines of lever action rifles hold more than ten rounds.

Guns weren’t the only thing in short supply. Mark, a mechanic from Halethorpe, told the Baltimore Post-Examiner that he came to the show specifically to buy a safe.

“I have my pistol in one of those fingerprint-reading gun safes by my bed, but I’m looking for something full sized; one where I can store my hunting rifles and some other valuable stuff.” Mark eventually left the gun show empty handed. He said the two safes he liked had both been sold.

For many, the focus on Saturday’s shopping wasn’t on firearms, freeze-dried food or safes; it was on ammunition. Sales of ammunition at the show were brisk early on. By 11:00 a.m. many popular calibers like the .357, .223 and 9mm were all but gone. Even the small caliber .22 ammunition was nowhere to be found. What remained were mostly shotgun shells with bird hunting loads and calibers with historic applications, like the .303 British, .30-40 Krag and 45-70 Government (used in the Springfield rifles Custer’s men carried at The Little Big Horn.)

One dismayed patron, who was going from table to table in search of .22’s, said he could not believe that even target loads in that modest caliber were nowhere to be found.

Gun shows around Maryland have been filled with customers eager to pruchase guns as the state debates new gun legislation laws. (Silverado Facebook)
Gun shows around Maryland have been filled with customers eager to pruchase guns as the state debates new gun legislation laws. (Silverado Facebook)

“People are reading about places where police want to disarm citizens and about these huge purchases of ammo the government has been making, and I think it’s scaring them to death.”

If there was apprehension in the crowd, it certainly wasn’t visible. Still, one vendor said the scene at the show resembled a “feeding frenzy.”

That vendor was representing the MMTA Firearms Training Academy. The Virginia-based academy offers firearms safety classes as well as a course on obtaining a multi-state concealed weapon permit. Successful completion of the course not only allows participants the opportunity to apply for a concealed carry permit (which is legal in 35 states), it also meets Maryland and D.C. requirements to purchase a handgun. A large color coded map on the vendor’s table showed the states where the permit would be accepted. These included Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Interestingly, the only state in the union which does not allow concealed carry of a weapon under any circumstances is Illinois.

Concealed carry has been outlawed in Maryland since 1972. Under the law, only a citizen with a “good and substantial reason” may obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. This law could change because of the 2012 case of Woollard v. Sheridan. In that case, the court ruled the “good and substantial reason” clause was unconstitutionally broad. The opinion noted that the law was designed to keep guns off the streets but actually did nothing to make citizens any more secure. The statute remains in place while the case goes through the appeals process.

Political posturing, diminishing supplies, and fear of some coming civil unrest all factor into the buying frenzy now taking place at gun shows like Silverado. The last person I spoke with at the show sounded this somber note:

“Do people really think they’re gonna be able to fight the army? If it ever came down to the government sending troops against the people, there may be some shots fired. But I’ve got to believe, in the end, the soldiers would think with their hearts.”