Tulsa World: Gun sales slide at firearms exhibition

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Gun sales slide at firearms exhibition
Most of the weapons being bought are pistols, not heavier ordnance.

Thousands of people attend the Wanenmacher's Tulsa Arms Show on Sunday at Expo Square's QuikTrip Center. SHERRY BROWN / Tulsa World

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Published: 11/16/2009 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 11/16/2009 3:39 AM

A frenzy of gun buying after the election of President Barack Obama seems to have slowed as collectors and buyers find themselves not immune to the country's economic struggles.

Exhibitors and attendees of the Wanenmacher's Tulsa Arms Show on Sunday said sales were down slightly this year and that pistols and small rifles appeared to be more popular than larger, military-type weaponry that dominated last year's show.

"We're down a little," said the show's vice president, Mark Wanenmacher. He added that part of the slowdown is likely because it is deer-hunting season.

The event, dubbed the largest gun show in the world, took place Saturday and Sunday at Expo Square.

Brian Holtsclaw of Dixon, Mo., said he and some buddies have come to the show in Tulsa every year for the past five years. He buys and trades firearms for hunting and recreational shooting, he said.

Worries that the Obama administration would usher in restrictive gun control laws have ebbed during Obama's first several months in office, Holtsclaw said.

"Not this time," he said. "That's kind of slowed for now."

Holtsclaw also brought his 10-year-old son to the show. He said he is careful to teach the boy the proper ways to handle firearms.

"The first thing we teach him is safety, of course," he said. "And respect for what he's shooting. We don't kill just to kill."

Monty Zwanziger of Woodward manned one of the show's 4,000 booths Sunday afternoon.

He could tell attendance was down compared with prior years, but he was still making some sales, he said.

The most popular items seemed to be pistols. People say they are buying them to have at their home, he said.

"A lot of people just want to protect their own," he said.

Wanenmacher said accessories and items from special collections were also selling well.

Some rare items marketed at the show can't be found in stores or other places, he said.

"The antique guns and collectibles are still moving," he said.

Shannon Muchmore 581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Economy affects sales at Tulsa gun show," which was published on 11/15/2009.

	Report Comment douglassm, tulsa (11/15/2009 4:04:08 PM) maybe people are finally recognizing statistics?
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/15/2009 4:10:24 PM) Times are bad everywhere almost. Unless you run a business that can scalp the public. Like a bank and their fees and especially credit card companies.
	Report Comment RomeosTune, Tulsa (11/15/2009 4:10:54 PM) Maybe you're a moron.
	Report Comment douglassm, tulsa (11/15/2009 4:13:37 PM) ahhh romeo, shall we test together?
	Report Comment Whoknew?, Tulsa (11/15/2009 4:13:43 PM) Good.
	Report Comment loudshirt, (11/15/2009 4:20:51 PM) Look at all those guns and not one murder or violent crime. Hmmmm I guess guns are not the root cause of the violence.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/15/2009 4:28:49 PM) A smart person will have a gun available right now. The Police cannot protect everyone. Get a gun, get proper training, have the gun safely secured, and use it only if necessary to save your life, or the lives of your family. Anyone needing proper handgun training, send me a message. I can recommend an excellent training facility. I am in no way connected with this facility, have only gotten superb advanced training there.
	Report Comment Lil Sparrow*, Midwest Flyway (11/15/2009 4:33:57 PM) people aren't buying guns? oh darn.
	Report Comment Angry Citizen!, Bluejacket (11/15/2009 4:36:54 PM) Don't become a statistic, buy a gun~
	Report Comment sgovi, (11/15/2009 4:37:49 PM) What a country we live in. If you want to know the truth about Communism first hand from an American, Italian man that found out the hard way, read his story and search for Thomas Sgovio.
	Report Comment Ignatz, A nice place where Democrats hold every office in the County. (11/15/2009 4:47:30 PM) I'll bet the targets with the President's picture on them are big sellers as were the ones with Hillary's on them years ago. This is the only "civilized" country in the world where the craziest and potentially the most dangerous among us can buy all the firearms they can afford. The gun show is sort of like the Fair in that after seeing the toothless, tattoo covered bald folks with swastika arm bands and Palin for Pres buttons (and I'm talking about the women) it makes one think that their own family is pretty normal after all.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/15/2009 4:47:36 PM) As it is impossible for any police force to always guarantee the safety of every citizen, no hindrances should be placed upon the right of law abiding citizens to obtain and use firearms for self-defence. As the vast majority of violent crimes are committed by criminals with unlicensed weapons it is clear that restricting the right of citizens to own, carry and use legal firearms cannot prevent crime. Disarming the potential victims of crime can only serve the purposes of the criminal. Criminals prefer unarmed victims. Armed citizens save lives. No matter what, make sure that no one takes away your right to obtain, carry and use firearms for the protection of your spouse, loved one, and children. Those who are scared or disapproving of firearms, can always huddle in the corner during an armed intrusion, or robbery, and beg the criminal for their lives.
	Report Comment love 918, (11/15/2009 4:52:41 PM) How many of the "craziest and potentially dangerous people among us" are going to use these gun show guns for crimes? Question: would you be safer at a gun show or at the new grocery store in north Tulsa? They don't sell guns at the new Gateway market...it should be perfectly safe.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/15/2009 4:59:23 PM) Justin I think you called this one. We already have all we need right now. The safe is full. Now we have to worry about our ammo going bad for sitting around so long.
	Report Comment Skeptic, Tulsa (11/15/2009 5:18:52 PM) Good one(s), douglassm. Both posts!
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/15/2009 5:20:05 PM) Justin FW Actually there is some ammo that is hard to find. Some stores have lines when they are suppose to get their shipment of ammo in. Ammo just doesn't sit on a shelf. You use it at a shooting range. Some of us just enjoy shooting. . I don't listen to Rush, Beck or Hannity. I don't have cable, dish or direct. I don't watch Fox. . I have guns because I want them and for protection.
	Report Comment Skeptic, Tulsa (11/15/2009 5:26:10 PM) "This is NOT what the Liberal Administration wants. They want US to spend." -_The 3rd Man_ "Liberal Administration"? Wasn't that Bush's tactic in response to the 9/11 terrorist attack. While your post was mostly good, you lost credence when you tried to label the TW as the "liberal media". You made sense all the way to the word SHOT. After that, you were exposed as just another "one".
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/15/2009 5:33:31 PM) It is very true that the TW is pulling away from being just another liberal newspaper. The young new publisher understands that liberal leaning newspapers,.... pushing a left-wing agenda are dying every day........
	Report Comment Four Sixteen Rigby, Tulsa (11/15/2009 5:44:03 PM) Sales were down because I didn't go this year.
	Report Comment Bville, (11/15/2009 6:03:02 PM) If you don't want to buy a gun, don't. Why criticize those who do?
	Report Comment SteveBrown777, tulsa (11/15/2009 6:03:34 PM) I can only hope that this decrease in sales ultimately means that many of the gun-toting folk have figured out by now that they wasted their money in the first place by stockpiling weapons and ammo that the government never intended on taking away from them... but I can only hope.
	Report Comment rdp, (11/15/2009 6:09:58 PM) Why not just have a Government gun show/sale? would really help stimulate the economy.
	Report Comment H_Harl, (11/15/2009 6:22:40 PM) "statistics" show the vast malority of violent crime victims are unarmed. don't be a victim.
	Report Comment Bville, (11/15/2009 6:26:28 PM) The article says sales we down "slightly." Very close to a non-story.
	Report Comment H_Harl, (11/15/2009 6:27:54 PM) meant to say majority. not malority.

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