JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- More than 2,000 people attended a local gun show to buy and sell firearms on Gun Appreciation Day.
Business is booming for Roger Huggins and his locally owned and operated gun store. The retired Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer says more legislation isn't the answer when it comes to curbing gun crime. However, he doesn't disagree with all the President's proposals. Huggins says background checks should be mandatory on all gun sales, even at gun shows. "There's no background check on those sales. To come into a local gun shop just so a local background check can be done, I think is very important," said Huggins.
Saturday marked the start of a two-day gun show at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds. Nearly 100 vendors set up shop at the Southern Classic Gun and Knife show, catering to a public fearing a future of restricted rights. "This is like a big Home Depot and everybody feels the hurricane coming so we've got plenty of plywood and tarps and generators," said organizer Skip Gwinn.
While the debate over how to prevent tragedies like Newtown from happening again continues at the U.S. Capitol and coffee shops across the country, this local weapons expert says the focus should be on laws already in the books. "We need to be given more authority to enforce the rules that we have."
The gun show resumes Sunday morning and lasts until 5 p.m.
Gun Appreciation Day is a grassroots protest to President Barack Obama's plan for more gun control. The President announced last week he wants a ban on all military-style assault weapons, magazine rounds limited to ten and background checks to be required on all gun sales.
