Stone County Gun Show A Success
The Stone County Gun Show boasted 85 vendors and an estimated 1,500 attendees at the inaugural event.
February 4, 2021
Cindy Hembree
More than 80 vendors filled the New Testament Church gymnasium in Reeds Spring this weekend for the first Stone County Gun Show.
When a church parking lot is bursting at the seams, passersby might think the Lord is moving mightily in a revival. The crowd inside was not gathering on Sat., Jan. 30, to see a charismatic evangelist or to witness a mighty move of God. People were drawn to the New Testament Church in favor of the second amendment.
Turnout for the gun show was estimated to be around 1,500 people. At times, it was difficult to maneuver in one direction or the other because of the congestion.
Sheriff Doug Radar produced and promoted the event because of his love of guns. It is not unheard of for a law enforcement officer to back this type of production. “It’s not unusual for a sheriff who strongly believes in the second amendment,” stated Radar.
It took Rader only a month to pull the exhibition together. After placing announcements on his Facebook page and in local publications, word spread quickly about the tradeshow. It did not take long to have the vendors lining up to take part in the presentation.
Most of the traders were private collectors, with only a few being retail merchants. “It is really common for most of the vendors at a gun show to be private dealers,” said Jason Piatt, Tanco, gun broker. According to Piatt, it is more difficult for retailers to contend with federal firearm licensing laws such as background checks during such a high traffic event. Private collectors do not have to deal with those concerns.
The show had a lot more to offer than just guns and items related to firearms. Aside from ammunition and holsters, there were large displays of various types of knives and machetes, coins, and other types of currencies. A leathercrafter and his wife from Arkansas presented his wares and her artful stationery.
When the suppliers were not busy, they could be found taking time to educate the people passing by. Some of the gun show enthusiasts were merely curious about the event. Some were on a mission to add something to their private collection, while others were there to purchase hard to find ammunition due to the high demand.
Radar said the gun show was a huge success. He has intentions to present another gun show in the future, though there are no specific dates at this time. Presently, he claimed he just needs to recuperate from this first event.
Cindy Hembree
More than 80 vendors filled the New Testament Church gymnasium in Reeds Spring this weekend for the first Stone County Gun Show.
When a church parking lot is bursting at the seams, passersby might think the Lord is moving mightily in a revival. The crowd inside was not gathering on Sat., Jan. 30, to see a charismatic evangelist or to witness a mighty move of God. People were drawn to the New Testament Church in favor of the second amendment.
Turnout for the gun show was estimated to be around 1,500 people. At times, it was difficult to maneuver in one direction or the other because of the congestion.
Sheriff Doug Radar produced and promoted the event because of his love of guns. It is not unheard of for a law enforcement officer to back this type of production. “It’s not unusual for a sheriff who strongly believes in the second amendment,” stated Radar.
It took Rader only a month to pull the exhibition together. After placing announcements on his Facebook page and in local publications, word spread quickly about the tradeshow. It did not take long to have the vendors lining up to take part in the presentation.
Most of the traders were private collectors, with only a few being retail merchants. “It is really common for most of the vendors at a gun show to be private dealers,” said Jason Piatt, Tanco, gun broker. According to Piatt, it is more difficult for retailers to contend with federal firearm licensing laws such as background checks during such a high traffic event. Private collectors do not have to deal with those concerns.
The show had a lot more to offer than just guns and items related to firearms. Aside from ammunition and holsters, there were large displays of various types of knives and machetes, coins, and other types of currencies. A leathercrafter and his wife from Arkansas presented his wares and her artful stationery.
When the suppliers were not busy, they could be found taking time to educate the people passing by. Some of the gun show enthusiasts were merely curious about the event. Some were on a mission to add something to their private collection, while others were there to purchase hard to find ammunition due to the high demand.
Radar said the gun show was a huge success. He has intentions to present another gun show in the future, though there are no specific dates at this time. Presently, he claimed he just needs to recuperate from this first event.