SEMO GUN SHOW DRAWS GOOD CROWD

SEMO Gun Show, Cape Girardeau's "original" gun show drew large crowds to the Arena Building Saturday and Sunday.

Jerry Barker, who helped organize the event, said there were 80 dealers displaying their wares, adding that the crowd seemed a little larger than normal.

Although there were other items to purchase, such as ammunition, knives and gun cases, handguns were a big seller at this show.

"I think people are afraid they won't be able to get them later," said Barker.

Norm Coleman, a St. Louis gun dealer, was pleased with sales for the two-day event.

"Sales were really good," he said. Coleman had success with handguns, rifles and shotguns.

"This is just a good market here," he said.

Jerry Jenkins of Dexter has been in the gun business for the past 12 years.

"The laws are different now," he said. In order to purchase a handgun, the prospective buyer must obtain a permit from the local sheriff. A call has to be placed to a central agency before the sale can actually take place. This double background check creates more paperwork but helps prevent guns from ending up in the wrong hands.

"This has stopped a lot of the peddlers (someone buying from an individual and then selling to a dealer)," said Jenkins. Guns were more difficult to trace with this type of sale.

Jenkins has had to refuse to sell in a couple of instances.

"We have the legal right to do that," he said. Selling firearms is his business and he doesn't intend to jeopardize his license with a sale that shouldn't have happened.