An Iowa gun dealer who holds several shows a year says his last sale in Des Moines was far better attended than usual, and people bought more guns. Gun dealer Leigh Wilcox says people feel they’d like to defend themselves, and while a handgun won’t stop an airplane that’s not the only danger. Wilcox says while there are lots of new security rules at the nation’s airports, there still is not a ban on taking along a legally owned gun.You can fly with the gun, as long as it’s checked in the luggage, empty, and you notify security people. That’s good news for hunters who travel to another part of the state or even another state like South Dakota, where the annual migration of tens of thousands of pheasant-hunters could mean 90-million dollars to the state’s economy. Wilcox has heard the suggestions that airline pilots carry firearms in case of attempted hijacking.There is ammo that won’t puncture the pressurized plane, he says, and a pilot could carry a gun if they have proper training. Wilcox thinks America’s new attention to the prospect of terrorism might improve public attitudes toward firearms and gun ownership.
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