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Some fear for gun shows Mail Tribune /Jim Craven Sanford Young, owner of Far West Gun Exchange in Jacksonville, displays his wares at the gun show Saturday at the Medford Armory. Young said that, although he thinks Measure 5 has made his job somewhat easier, it has scared some buyers away needlessly. "It�s really not the burning cross people make it out to be," he said. New law requiring background checks hurts the business, they say By Jill Briskey Earl Brown examines a dozen of his custom-made rifles, which seem to glow from the lighting inside the Medford Armory. "I�m going to give it up," Brown, of Grants Pass, said Saturday, when he sold his wares at a gun show. "Within a year, you�re not going to see any more gun shows, at least not shows like there used to be." Indeed, the days when gun-owners swapped and traded, bartered and sold with ease at shows and flea markets are most likely over in Oregon. Although 125 tables have been set up as part of Collectors West Inc.�s latest, tri-yearly show, Brown is one of only a handful of private sellers who aren�t licensed dealers. Brown blames what he calls the coming demise of gun shows on Measure 5, which requires background checks of all gun sales made at shows. The weekend gun show at the armory is the first to take place locally since the new law went into effect Dec. 8 Since federal and state laws already require background checks on buyers of handguns, rifles and shotguns that are purchased from federally licensed gun dealers, most dealers won�t feel any bite from Measure 5. But private gun sellers at flea markets and other places where 25 or more guns are being sold must now do their own checks, and keep that paperwork on file for up to five years. That�s going to slow the business, Brown said; not because his patrons are worried about not passing background checks, but because most people just don�t want to deal with the hassle. "It kills sales," he said. "They just aren�t coming in the doors." According to Collectors West Inc. owner Marla Baumann of Portland, the entire application process takes only about 20 minutes, most of which involves filling out the application. But she feels the checks will be time well-spent, since they will eliminate the possibility of a buyer purchasing a gun without knowing its background. "It�s not going to be the same anymore," she said. "There are very few private people coming into the shows to buy guns, but I think it�s actually going to help the business eventually." To purchase a gun at a show, the buyer and seller must now fill out an application that includes information about the make, model and serial numbers of the gun. The dealer then contacts the Oregon State Police using a toll-free number for an instant check that takes only minutes. "There�s been no problems, no hassles today," Sanford Young, owner of Far West Gun Exchange in Jacksonville, said. "For me, as a gun dealer, there�s been no problems." Conducting the background checks with state police has actually made Young�s job easier, he said. Going through the federal system at gun shows could often be time-consuming, and often the sale couldn�t be concluded until days later. "I think that Measure 5 has scared a lot of people who usually come through the doors," he said of the day�s somewhat smaller attendance. "It�s really not the burning cross people make it out to be." Most patrons at the show agreed they didn�t have problem with the background checks. But most are worried that the government can now keep a registry of sellers and buyers on file for up to five years. "I think it�s stupid," Brown said bluntly. "This measure was suppose to keep kids from buying guns. I don�t think people really knew what they were getting into." Jim Little came from Klamath Falls, hoping to find a specific gun at the show. Browsing the tables, he shook his head, explaining why he feels Measure 5 is unconstitutional. "I think it�s just a step towards confiscation," he said. "They keep piling law on top of law without enforcing the ones they have. It�s just to harass the law-abiding citizens." Little, along with several other patrons, agreed that Measure 5 is just one more piece of paper to add to the growing trail that will lead the government to his front door. Medford resident Richard Schandoney agrees with Little�s sentiments. Pressing his ink-stained thumb onto a card, Schandoney spoke about Measure 5 as he began the process of purchasing a new, .22-caliber handgun. "It�s just another way for the government to someday take away your gun," he said. "It�s kind of scary." Schandoney feels the measure targets law-abiding citizens. "If I were a criminal, I certainly wouldn�t come here and buy a gun," he added. Not everyone feels that their rights are being trampled on. Baumann thinks that some of the old-timers are just missing the way things used to be. "Going to a gun show now is going to be like going into G.I. Joe�s or Bi-Mart, something like that," she said. "It�s just not going to be the same anymore." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.