Gun Show Woes
I’m writing this blog for informative purposes only.
For those that don’t know me personally, I really like guns. From childhood, toy guns were by far the toy of choice. So much so that my mom would secretly congregate them into a duffel bag that she hid in her closet. I really don’t blame her, seeing how the world is as an adult. 3 years ago, I obtained my Federal Firearms License and have since become semi versed in federal and state gun laws to remain in compliance as a dealer. I say this because many who critique the short comings of anything gun related are largely misinformed. I’ve scoured the internet for an article containing what I’m about to write and haven’t found one. Today I want to share what others won’t, or can’t do effectively.
Yesterday, I decided to attend the gun show in Kansas City at the KCI Expo Center. It’s a Saturday/Sunday event that usually happens every couple months. Huge billboards clad with flintlock muskets can be seen along the freeways. Turns out, that’s the most innocent item one can purchase at such a show. I went for a couple reasons, one of which was to find an upper receiver chambered in .300 AAC Blackout for one of my AR-15’s. Reason being, the .300 Blackout cartridge yields better subsonic performance for suppressor use when compared to 5.56mm NATO. Or in layman’s terms, this suppressed caliber sounds ‘movie quiet’ while still cycling in a semi automatic… an added perk for my vested interests in coyote hunting.
The other reason for going was to see something I could later write about, and boy was I right. I didn’t know if I’d see protests outside, or the event cancelled altogether. Surely those ‘ripples’ would show, I thought.
After driving 45 minutes, I pulled up to KCI Expo right off the airport exit. Vehicle’s plastered with “Fuck Biden” bumper stickers lined the roadway, reminding me that the gun show crowd was just the way I remembered. Luckily, I found a parking space within walking distance and made my way in. Signs all over the entrance doors said the following:
No loaded firearms/magazines permitted
Check firearms in at front desk
Absolutely no recording devices (No Picture & Video) allowed inside
The third struck me as odd, what don’t they want getting out?
Walking in, I noticed the desk where you’re “supposed” to check firearms. Sitting there was some security guard scrolling on his phone, too busy to care. A woman stamped my hand after paying admission and I was inside.
For background, there are two types of sellers at a gun show. The first is those who have FFL’s and require background checks (like me). The other is private sellers who don’t require background checks. In fact, the latter aren’t even capable of doing one if they wanted to. Such private transfers are completely legal in most states, as long as they aren’t in the business of selling firearms. Behold the “gun show loophole.” A violent felon can buy one of these guns pictured below, a true statement.
Many (right wing twitter users) deny the loophole even exists. It’s wild to me. They’re convinced it’s a liberal media buzzword designed to villainize their beloved redneck craft shows.
*sips coffee with two hands*
Back to the show, I walked down several aisles in search of AR uppers and found some more interesting sights along the way.
Oil filter “solvent traps” - effectively unregistered suppressors.
At the same private sale table, I noticed several oil filters with thread adapters advertised as “solvent traps.” In theory, they’re used to collect used oil during cleaning, signified by the handwritten sign, “Keep your solvent off the ground.” I imagine the seller thinks that handwritten sign will grant him immunity from prosecution if an undercover ATF agent were to walk by. I laugh under my breath as I type this because the oil trap theory is hardly believable yet such a commonly used loophole. Once a hole is drilled or shot through the opposite end, it becomes a fully functional suppressor. Of course, one could buy one of these “solvent traps,” and file a form 1 which requires fingerprints, passport photo, background check, and a $200 tax payment. Once approved, several months later might I add, they could then shoot or drill a hole through the end to legally possess a homemade suppressor. Maybe that happens, who knows.
Now, I’ve been to KC gun shows in the past and saw most if not all of these things. But what surprises me the most, is each show has at least one extremist table. It’s like an unwritten gun show bylaw. Last year, I went to the same show with a college friend and stumbled across a table with a Neo-Nazi theme. They sold things like replica Hitler Youth knives, replica SS uniforms, and copies of Mein Kampf.
The show yesterday was much different.
Chasing my true crime interests, I’ve read a few books on Tim McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Long story short, Mcveigh’s gun shows in the early 90’s granted him access to a couple like-minded accomplices and bomb making materials. I thought those days were over for lawless gun shows.
At this particular table, there was a whole collection of The Anarchist Cookbook style literature. Books on how to make improvised explosives, how to rearm Vietnam-era bazookas, booby trap manuals, etc. These are a dime a dozen at every show I’ve been to, yet still phase someone like me. What surprised me the most, however, was the other side of this very same table.
At first glance, it appeared they were selling cheap firecrackers and tracer rounds. More heinous items suddenly caught my attention. Cannon fuse by the 5,000 foot roll, similar to the style of fuse Mcveigh lit before stepping away from his truck bomb.
The bomb maker’s grocery aisle kept going. Hexamine is a substance commonly used to make blasting caps (detonators.) In 2016, would-be domestic terrorists assembled blasting caps using Hexamine for their Somali targeted bomb plot in Garden City, Kansas.
Potassium Nitrate… maybe the least innocent ingredient. Mcveigh mixed two tons of it with diesel fuel to build his weapon of mass destruction. I could google the other chemicals shown to provide you with more insight, but I simply don’t want to be placed on a watchlist today.
After seeing this show’s exremist table, I was ready to leave. That’s why they don’t want patrons taking pictures or videos. They’re running a Cambodian swap meet, and with all those vendor fees and ticket sales… RK gun shows is making a killing.