GUNS: DEALERS DENOUNCE CONTROLS

Like abortion and capital punishment, gun control is an issue that always seems to surface during national election years.

This year's presidential campaign is no exception, and the positions of the three presidential candidates on the issue offers little comfort to those whose livelihood is the private sale of weapons and ammunition.

Darrell Donoho, an ammunition dealer from Mount Vernon, Ill., discussed the topic Sunday while at the SEMO Gun Show at Cape Girardeau's A.C. Brase Arena Building.

"In my opinion, Perot hasn't made himself plain on where he stands on gun control; Bush straddles the fence and goes with whoever screams the loudest; and Clinton doesn't look very good at all," Donoho said.

"Either way you look at it whatever happens in November it doesn't look very good."

Donoho said a conservative majority now on the Supreme Court only partially lessens his concern.

He said that although the justices are unlikely to discard the Constitution's Second Amendment, which guarantees the right of citizens to own firearms, gun control supporters seem relentless in their efforts to impose further restrictions on ownership.

"I'm sick of their motives trying to cram more gun control measures down our throats in the name of being safe," Donoho said.

Hugh Wear, a gun collector and dealer and an English teacher at Ballard Memorial High School in Wickliffe, Ky., said he also thinks gun control advocates go too far in their attempts to restrict the sale of firearms.

"As far as hunting weapons, I see no need of ever doing away with those," he said. "And everything I sell can be used for hunting.

"As it is now, they have to fill out the forms every time, saying they're not a felon and all other information that's required."

Wear said that regardless of restrictions placed on law-abiding citizens who want to purchase guns, criminals will continue to have relative easy access to illegal weapons.

"If I thought a gun I sold would be used for destructive purposes, I'd be the last one to sell them," he said. "But the business people and home protectors who buy guns wouldn't kill 1 percent of the people in a year.

"The criminals would still have the guns regardless, and the citizens would just be without any protection."

Roy Rahn of Cape Girardeau has long been a sportsman. But he purchased his first handgun, a .357-caliber, for personal protection. "With a .357, if you don't hit them, you'll sure scare the hell out of them," he said.

Rahn said he can't understand why anyone would want to keep a law-abiding citizen from purchasing a gun to protect his family or property.

Jerry Barker of East Prairie said the only people who attend shows like the one this weekend in Cape Girardeau are collectors and sportsmen.

"Mostly, guys here are buying guns like mine," he said. "A lot of them are priced at $1,000 and up, and criminals don't buy guns at places like this. What you see in here are legitimate sportsmen and collectors."

But Wear said that if gun control zealots have their way, there won't be any gun shows or guns for any law-abiding citizen.

"I feel like the climate is more and more anti-gun all the time," he said.

Donoho agreed.

"One thing that really bothers me is what kind of bill they're going to sneak by that could shut me down overnight," he said.

"Will they come up with a waiting period for ammunition? Or go and decide they're not going to allow lead in bullets anymore? That's my livelihood they mess with."

Donoho said the recent rioting in Los Angeles could help thwart gun-control advocates, at least temporarily.

"It's a shame what happened, but I think it's going to take a little of the wind out of the sails of politicians trying to impose those gun controls," he said.

Another result of the rioting in Los Angeles is an increase in first-time gun buyers.

"More and more people are buying weapons for protection," said Wear.

Donoho said many first-time gun buyers also are stocking up on ammunition. "If they can afford it at all, a lot of gun owners are buying extra ammunition," he said. "I don't know why exactly, but I think the recent events in Los Angeles have everybody feeling a little less secure."