DEALERS SAY GUN CONTROL LAWS BOOST THEIR SALES

Federal laws restricting gun ownership have been a boon for gun dealers.

That was the assessment of some of the dealers attending the two-day SEMO Gun Show this weekend in Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau has three gun shows -- in the spring, June and fall. A gun dealer from Pocahontas, Ark., who declined to give his name, said in the 17 years he's made the Cape Girardeau shows, attendance has declined overall.

But he sees renewed interest in gun collecting since the passage of recent gun control measures.

"You couldn't move inside of these shows right after they did that," the gun dealer said. "That's really helped us out as far as sales.

Another dealer joked that Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno should have been named salespeople of the year by gun dealers.

Jerry Barker, a coordinator of this weekend's gun show, estimated the two-day crowd will total about 1,500. The event, held at the A.C. Brase Arena Building in Cape Girardeau, features 70 vendors of firearms and related merchandise.

Don McRoy, a representative of the National Rifle Association, said more families are attending gun shows. Also, guns designed for women are gaining popularity.

McRoy said anti-gun legislation has led to many people buying guns for the first time.

"People really take some freedoms for granted until you try to take them away," he said. "And with all of the publicity about gun legislation, people have gone out and bought a gun."

Much of the gun control legislation, which banned many so called "assault-style" weapons, has had little effect on vendors. According to dealers at the Cape Girardeau show, wholesalers simply changed the name of some weapons, and altered others so that they weren't included in the restrictions.

The SEMO Gun Show continues from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. today.