Gun Purchases: Gun show vs. gun store.

Michael Jermann

Freezing temperatures and slick roads did not stop people from pouring into the Summit County Fairgrounds for the Summit County gun show.

Held every few months in Tallmadge, the event resembles many of the numerous gun shows held across the country every year. Hundreds of tables, filled with every type of gun and gun accessory imaginable, formed narrow aisles where people shuffled through shoulder-to-shoulder Saturday. Private sellers walked through the show with guns they wished to sell and “For Sale” signs hanging from the weapons or themselves.

Dozens of matte-black assault rifles sat prominently on display with the original prices on their tags scratched out and a higher number written in their place.

Boxes and display cases filled with surplus military equipment and old, tattered uniforms shared tables with brand-new, semi-automatic and revolver-style pistols.

Gun Store

1: A customer picks out the firearm they wish to purchase. The process is the same for both handguns and rifles.

2: The salesman has the customer fill out an 1140-0018, an application for a federal firearms license.

3: The salesman then calls in the customer’s application to The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

4: The customer is given a case number by the ATF and a background check is performed.

5: After a few minutes the salesman will receive a passed, denied, delay or cancelled notification from the ATF.

6: If the customer passes, they conclude the transaction by paying for the firearm.

     A: If the customer is denied then the sale

     is canceled.

     B: If the salesman receives a delay      message, the customer must wait at least      seven days to pick up their firearm.

     C: The salesman only receives a cancelled      message if the customer cancels the order.

Gun Show with licensed dealers

1: A customer picks out the firearm they wish to purchase. The process is the same for both handguns and rifles.

2: The salesman has the customer fill out an 1140-0018, an application for a Federal Firearms License.

3: The salesman then calls in the customer’s application to The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

4: The customer is given a case number by the ATF and a background check is performed.

5: After a few minutes the salesman will receive a passed, denied, delay or cancelled notification from the ATF.

6: If the customer passes, they conclude the transaction by paying for the firearm.

Private Transaction

1: The private sale of firearms at gun shows has no formal process.

2: A customer locates a private seller, who is usually walking around with the gun they wish to sell and a “For Sale” sign hanging from the gun or themselves.

3: If the firearm is to the customer’s liking, the customer pays for the firearm and the transaction is complete.

John Salvador, the event organizer, said that there were more than 200 vendors present at the show.

After a string of mass shootings, the Obama administration is pushing for new and enhanced gun legislation. These include universal background checks, a cap on the number of rounds a magazine can carry and a renewal of the assault rifle ban that expired in 2004.

Universal background checks would serve to close the loopholes in current laws that allow private individuals to sell firearms without a permit.

A report from the Pew Research Center shows that 85 percent of Americans favor requiring background checks with every firearm purchase at a gun show. The report also shows comparable support among Democrats, Republicans and independents.

“I have no problem with stricter background checks,” Josh, an employee of BMT Firearms who did not wish to reveal his last name out of concern for possible repercussions, said. “I want to know who is buying the gun.”

One vendor, who also did not wish to be identified, said that he doesn’t mind performing background checks because it helps keep criminals from obtaining firearms.

Many of the vendors preferred to remain anonymous out of concern that they could be portrayed poorly in the media or could get kicked out of the gun show.

Lt. Ron Williams, public relations officer for Tallmadge police, said that current laws allow people to walk in off the street and sell firearms without any evidence of the transaction.

Some vendors at the show, however, don’t think stopping the private sale of firearms would affect gun show attendance negatively. They make up only a small portion of sales that take place.

Salvador said a majority of the vendors do have a federal firearms license (FFL). This license allows a company or individual to manufacture or sell firearms. FFL holders must perform background checks on all firearms sold.

Williams said many of the vendors use the gun show as an extension of their own businesses.

Larry John, owner of Sporting Defense LLC, said the process of purchasing a firearm is the same at a gun show as it is within a store.

John explained that all a customer does is walk in, pick out a gun and then fill out an 1140 form from The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives. The dealer then calls in the information on the form to the ATF. This assigns a case number to the customer and a quick background check is performed.

After a few minutes the results come back as either passed, denied, delayed or cancelled. If it passes the customer pays for the gun and they walk out the door. If it is denied, the gun cannot be sold. A waiting period is given if the application is delayed, typically seven days, and the application is only cancelled at the customer’s request.

Depending on how busy the store is, a customer can walk in, buy a gun and walk out within 10 minutes.

John said that a customer could buy as many firearms as they wish using this method. Only if they purchase two handguns within a seven-day period is he required to notify local police.

Contact Michael Jermann at [email protected].