A gun show begins Friday at the state fairgrounds that will feature more than 500 tables for exhibitors. Organizer Leigh Wilcox explains those tables will hold most anything a gun fancier could want.Among the items for sale will be trigger-locks and gun safes, ammo, powder, and the kind of handguns that will be allowed in Iowa’s deer hunting season. Wilcox says guns have changed over the years, with new technology.He says it’s things like new materials, with lightweight guns made out of titanium, and inventions like choke systems for shotguns so a gun can shoot farther with a shorter barrel. Wilcox says some people do come looking for a gun that will protect them.He says security is a big motive, with all the drugs and crime in some areas. But he says people of all ages come to gun shows, many because they like firearms and the sport of shooting. Wilcox says all licensed gun dealers phone in a buyer’s name to ensure their record is clear and they can legally purchase a firearm. But they may not need to…as in Iowa, a system created a few years ago lets a person get an annual permit from the local sheriff. That clears you for every gun purchase for one year, without the federal background check. Wilcox stages several gun shows a year in Iowa, and says people who come are collectors, hunters, and competitive shooters as well as their families. This week’s show is Friday through Sunday at the 4-H building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
