“A BOY of no more than six [not shown] stands on tiptoes, reaches across a table and grabs at a semi-automatic gun,” nation.com reports. “Looking up, he says: ‘I want that one, Daddy.’ Shockingly, we are a 15-minute drive away in Colorado from Aurora’s Century 16 cinema – scene of the attack at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20 that became America’s worst mass shooting, with 12 killed and 58 maimed.” Shocking because . . . “The boy’s dad brushes him off as he discusses a Del-Ton DTI 15 with a salesman who tells him the assault rifle is ‘good and solid’. What he or anyone else could need such firepower for is anyone’s guess.” Oh! I know! Ask me! Ask me! “But he is far from alone.” And that’s the good news, right? Steel yourself (so to speak) . . .

Here at the Tanner Gun Show – one of the world’s biggest – in state capital Denver you can assemble an astonishing arsenal with less scrutiny than it would take to adopt a dog in the UK.

True story! The RSPC website says “So that we can be sure we’ve truly found you your perfect match one of our trained volunteers will visit you in your home.” Quite what they’re looking for or at is unspecified.

Of course, owning a dog isn’t a constitutionally-protected right in the U.S. And there is that pesky little prohibition against any kind of firearms registry in the Firearm Owners Protection Act. Anyway, back to the Galactica . . .

In a hall the size of a football pitch thousands gathered to buy, sell or admire enough guns, ammo and body armour to defend a small country.

Or a really big one. Just saying’ . . .

And as alleged killer James Holmes discovered as he amassed his cache, Colorado is relaxed on laws regulating sales. Holmes, 24, bought a Glock handgun, a semi-automatic AR15 assault rifle and a Remington pump-action shotgun at different stores by filling in a form and having a check for serious criminal offences.

So . . . we need more regulation! How about banning gun shows? No? How about seeing the Tanner Gun Show as a bulwark against spree killers and other violent crime? Sounds crazy, but it just might work.

Hell, it might already be working for all we know. How many killers were deterred by gun-owning Americans? Worth thinking about.

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48 COMMENTS

  2. Holmes bought guns legally and used them illegally. Problem: Holmes.
    Murder is very illegal, maybe we need more laws against murder.

  3. I’m sure that the writer of the article would be equally shocked to learn that movies are being shown at the theater where the shooting took place. And not just any movies, either. Movies with guns! In the theater! In the theater where the shooting happened! In Aurora!

    Oh, the humanities.

  4. Sigh … as a responsible gun store owner and seller these kind of things only make it more difficult for us to defend our business and the rights of Americans.

    We would never allow a gun within reach to a child and keep them all under glass or behind the counter to adults who are even thinking to purchase. We will not sell a gun to anyone without insisting they at least go shoot it first. We then recommend a NRA safety course to the buyer at the range with a purchase discount.

    Our children (12 and 14) have been around guns their entire lives and taught proper safety and handling. Unfortunately parenting in not something regulated and should not be but is sad to see when it has gone wrong.

      • We keep the most popular guns and rifles for shooting. If you buy one you can get it at a lower price as it’s not NIB. If you want it NIB you pay the premium price. We find it’s a good deal and choice for everyone from the collector to the average buyer. We also get people who want to rent a particular gun for the range but not buy it. The BMG 50 is very popular and we rent it for $40/hr plus $5 per shot. The range fee without a membership is waived for one person on a rental.

        Most all guns are pre-tested and shot by the manufacturer but only a few rounds. Some states (not ours) requires two spent shells to be submitted to ATF for profiling. We just include them with the purchase here in Indiana as we do not need to submit them.

        It’s not your stores fault and don’t blame them. An indoor range is very expensive and an outdoor range is even difficult to run in many suburban locations.

    • So, Mr. “Responsible Gun Store Owner”, how do you expect gun shows to function if they have to keep every gun behind glass?

      There is nothing irresponsible or unsafe about a gun show. Seems you just don’t like competition.

      • I have nothing against those who do gun shows. I just think things should not be “in reach” but in sight. The VERY first rule we taught our children was to treat any gun as loaded and dangerous. If something is “in reach” it should be attended by the seller at every moment.

        • So how do you expect a gun show to function? When you have one person manning a booth with 10+ potential customers at a time, do you really expect everyone to wait in line for forever to get their turn to have the seller take the guns out one at a time and let them handle them?

          I’m with Steve, you just insist on absurd regulations to ban the competition without actually saying that you’re banning them.

        • 10+? Down here in Houston, I’ve seen a 10 table long booth with 100 guys around it being staffed by 3 guys. Of course, all the guns are ziptied open and connected by a electronic locking cable. And unloaded with no mags. At the same time, I see where BrokeDad is coming from. But’s it’s on the parents, not the sellers. Their job to train their kids.

  5. The ‘angle’ the anti-gun media repeatedly takes doesn’t seem to be affecting the demand by Americans to become gun owners. The media angle is to demonize how easy it is for dangerous soon to be mass murders or Joe-average gun nut (who might go crazy one day soon) to buy guns, ammo, and other tactical gear. Yet, after a tragedy more people go buy guns (especially near the area where the crime occurred) than call for curtailing gun rights.

    The common man knows that government and the police cannot be relied upon for protection and rescue even if those organizations still exist in the future after an economic/social/political collapse or because of a national financial collapse, along with the possibility of a black swan event such as famines, disease, bio-agents, etc.

    Think I’ll go buy some more ammo today on my way back from my bike ride.

  6. Wait, so that’s an article in a Pakistani paper about an American gun show, which draws comparisons to UK pet adoption rules? Global community, indeed!

    • I completely missed that it was a Pakistani paper. Good catch.

      I love how they are pointing at how “messed up” we are to deflection attention to their own problems. Par for the course for Pakistan, and many other places and situations too, I suppose.

      • It’s similar to China’s whining about how our laws lead to quote “rampant gun ownership” – not crime, ownership of guns is what they see as a threat….because they know if the peasants in their countries had access to guns, their governments would be annihilated overnight.

        • I guess the Chinese peasants have more cojones, or more grievances, than we do. Our government hasn’t been annihilited overnight and we’re swimming in guns.

    • You beat me to it. When I saw the mention of a football pitch, I knew we were not in Kansas any more. Yup, this article comes from a Pakistani newspaper. Oh, my, but how are gun sales going up along the border with Afghanistan, I wonder? People in that area are allowed to own rockets and rocket launchers, and all citizens can have full-auto weapons. They are required to register them and be licensed, but apparently, that’s shall-issue.

      On the bad side, what about religious freedom? The president and prime minister swear that they are Muslims who believe the standard doctrines of that faith when they take office. Now, I’m not anti-Muslim. What I oppose is a religious test for holding a political position. How free are the rest of the people to choose their own beliefs?

      And then let’s consider government corruption in Pakistan–it’s in competition with Mexico for most corrupt developing nation status, so far as I can tell.

      Curiouser and curiouser…

    • LMFAO……..really? A Pakistani paper criticizing one of our children being able to TOUCH, not handle, an unloaded firearm right next to their father AND the seller????? BHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

      I guess the fact that many kids over there get introduced to loaded AK-47’s and RPG’s at a young age doesn’t mean anything. I guess the father that has his daughter hauling ammo to him in a firefight in the Korengal Valley and then brings her to us afterwards to extract the mortar shrapnel from her head is the “responsible” one. Or how about the one that makes his wife and kid stand next to the building he is shooting from, in PLAIN SIGHT, thinking that will stop us from returning fire?

      What a complete joke.

  7. sounds like envy to me. just for shits and giggles go on one of the pro gun sites in india or pakistan and see what they’re up against. it’s a real eye opener.

  9. “…that became America’s worst mass shooting, with 12 killed and 58 maimed.”

    I don’t think it was America’s worst mass shooting and definitely not America’s worst mass murder. Of course death by arson or explosives aren’t quite as bad a ‘gun deaths’ because a ‘gun death’ is just, umm.. worse.

    I still support a 10 word limit on stupid speech. <– you see, only 10 words was needed to get that point across, who needs more than 10 words? Damn, I just used a high capacity sentence, I guess people do need them.

    • The worst mass shooting in the US was Virginia Tech, wasn’t it? Cho used two handguns, a G19 and a Walther P22. Not an evil “assault rifle” in the bunch.

      • I think so. VT had 32 deceased victims and 17 injuries, but Aurora had more overall victims.

        The worst mass murder is tied between Oklahoma City bombing (1995) and the Hartford Circus Fire (1944). Both had 168 dead and 680+ injuries. OK City probably would be considered the worst because of the $650M in damages.

        More people are killed with fists and feet than ‘assault weapons’

  10. I would agree that there have been few criminal deterred by gun owning Americans. I would think it’s because of anti-gun organizations telling everyone that guns are bad and kill people… That there are sign’s telling gun owners that they are not welcome to my establishment if you are carrying a gun. That there are un-constitutional laws that prohibit the purchase or carrying of a firearm in parts of towns or the whole town. I find it funny that the spree killers tend to kill people in those gun free area’s so it would make since that they wouldn’t be deterred by a American carrying a gun in a gun free area because they respect others wishes and abide by the law that the criminals are ignoring… What makes it even worst is the people who don’t think about what they are going to say before they open their (more often then not) ignorant mouths. That they talk about how an legally armed American is part of the problem and not one of the solutions. Those people talk with their emotions and are controlled by those same emotions, normally it’s fear. Those same people don’t take responsibility for what they say or do either, nor do they respect the rights of others regardless who it is. They can’t see past their own noses and are sheep that are ripe for the slaughter yet they don’t allow other to protect them. Ops, I forgot about the police officers who’s jobs it is to protect the sheep. I am not being disrespectful to those men and women who have chosen to do a very dangerous and seldom rewarding job but the sheep once again ignore the facts. In our great nation the Police have also been hit by our financial distress, they have also felt the cut backs, loss of benefits, and layoffs. That’s not even bringing to light that they where undermanned to start. There isn’t enough Police to help or save people, they have had to resign to cleaning up the crime and trying to find the person who committed it, In other words your still DEAD, or a loved one is. It get’s very tiring to have to fight people that potentially can be helped or even saved by their neighbor who is armed and carrying their weapon, concealed or in the open for everyone to see. Did you know that most would be criminals avoid committing a crime if they know that there is an armed person near, weather it be a Police Officer or even a neighbor of theirs. It’s because of fear, fear of being shot and killed or wounded, not because they are afraid to go to jail. Hell, most people in prison live better then I do with more amenities without worry of where their next meal will come from, if they will have a warm dry place to sleep in relative comfort, what bills can they afford to pay this month or is it going to have to what till next month to be paid, or even if they will miss the simson’s tonight on TV. All I ask is for anti- or even pro-gun people to think before they speak, to educate yourself before you voice your opinion to the world. Oddly enough the majority of the legally owned firearms are owned by people who have educated themselves so they are responsible for there actions and don’t find them self in trouble with the law and loose their right’s… Most anti-gun folks I have met have not the first clue about what they are talking about. For they have trusted the media and the corrupt anti-gun government… I hope those pro-gun control/anti-gun people are not relying on the media or the government to educate them about the reality of the Great Nation of ours, for they will lie to you… Here’s something to think about; would the media or the government lie to the people of this nation to further their OWN goal’s, goal’s that will give them more money or power? So, they can return us back to the feudal system of Lords and slaves; to make YOU and your families, your children their slaves??? A slave is a slave weather they work for free w/ room & board, or they are paid minimum wage ($7.25 an hour), work 2 jobs, and give all their money to the government in the form of taxes and the land LORD for a place to sleep; hopefully that is clean, dry, insect/rodent free, and is safe to walk into non the less sleep.?.?.? A slave is a SLAVE!!!

      • Haha Totenglocke, I made it about half way, glanced away at my dog for a second, and lost my place when I looked back. Seemed kind of like a rant I’d read before, so I didn’t bother to figure out where I left off.

  11. I was at that same show. Security is reasonable, typical for gun shows, and the tables are all attended. Handguns are all secured by cable locks so people can’t walk out with them. Long guns generally aren’t, but the only ways out are either through the main entrance, where proof of purchase is required to leave with a weapon, or the emergency exits which are kept closed and have security nearby. Attendees bringing in a weapon for sale have to check it in with security before going out on the main floor.

    Needless to say, all gun sales have to run through the background check system.

    This was the first Tanner show since the Aurora incident. I went early on Sunday, and it was the busiest Sunday morning I’ve seen. Several exhibitors mentioned that Saturday was absolutely jammed. I understand that some of the ammunition vendors actually packed up and left early Sunday afternoon when they ran out of the popular calibers.

    • Thanks for you sensible and informative post. Although one poster seemed inflamed about our stance on such things like putting out unattended/unsupervised firearms for handling your information is appreciated. We do not do gun shows.

  12. I stopped going to the Tanner Gun Show when they explicitly prohibited the carrying of concealed weapons.

    For years, the sign at the door said “no loaded guns,” so it was somewhat ambiguous whether or not it applied to CCW. A few years ago they changed the sign to remove the ambiguity.

    Local gun blogger Billll (with 4 Ls) — who works at every Tanner show as a CSSA volunteer — sees no problem with this hypocrisy.

    And apparently, neither do a lot of readers here.

    • Anyone ever stop and think that a concealed weapon at a gun show could also be SHOPLIFTING, or mistaken for such………..maybe not as hypocritical as one might think.

      But, never let reasonable doubt stop a sound bite comment.

      • So you’re saying that it’s reasonable to assume that a law-abiding citizen lawfully carrying a concealed weapon should be suspected as a possible criminal for lawfully carrying said concealed weapon.

        Brilliant!

      • Every gun store I’ve been to around the Seattle area allows carry, concealed or open. The rule is any gun needs to stay holstered, or if not being carried, cased.

        • Every gun store in our community allows concealed carry if you are licensed, and open and unloaded if not licensed!!! The owners open carry themselves !!!!

  13. “Holmes, 24, bought […] a semi-automatic AR15 assault rifle […]”

    Those two terms are mutually exclusive.

  15. If they want to make a case that the parent is negligent and irresponsible they should stop harping on him allowing his kid in reach of a gun without letting him touch it and instead focus on the mullet that kid is sporting. Child abuse right there.

    • oddux, i don’t think that’s a mullet. looks like a little girl that styled her own hair. at that age they have their own sense of style.

    • I was going to say that looks like a girl. aah the joy of teaching my daughter to shoot!
      The gun was unloaded and on display get over it people.
      To that end I am sure when daddy does get her one she will be safe, and a crack shot to boot!

      • San, after looking at that picture again i’m willing to bet it’s one of those buy a ticket get a rifle charity fund raiser type of thing. i’m only guessing but it points to the vfw.

  16. What most gun-grabbers can’t grasp is that a tragedy happening 2thousand miles away makes you raise theoretical safety concerns. A tragedy happening NEXT DOOR makes you lock you doors and buy guns.

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