gun shows

Question
Hi Kyle,

Sometime soon I'm looking to buy a handgun and take one of the NRA courses.  My question is: are gun shows a good place to buy a gun?  There's going to be one in my area sometime soon, and I'm wondering if it's worth checking out.  What are the advantages/disadvantages of these shows, and what should I look out for?  How does the process work when buying at a gun show?

By the way, Michigan is one of my favorite states.  I attended the U. of M in Ann Arbor, and knew several people who attended Western Michigan.  That was way back in the 80's though.  

Thanks,

Jon

Answer
Jon,

Gun shows can be good places to buy guns if you know what you're looking for and can resist a hard-selling dealer whose got a pile of junk on his table. It seems like some dealers use gun shows to clear out their inventories of cheap firearms, so avoid being swayed by a gun from a company you've never heard of just because it's wearing an absurdly-low price sticker.

The process is the exact same as at a regular brick-and-mortar gunshop. If your state requires a separate pistol purchase permit (as Michigan does), then you'll need to pick one up before attending the show. Likewise, you'll still be subjected to a check in the standard National Instant Check System (NICS) and will have to fill out the yellow BATF form.

The advantages of the shows are you can do a lot of comparison shopping in one place as the shows tend to draw dealers who have their shops scattered around the area. The shows at our local flea market building (Mt. Clemens, a dozen or so miles north of Detroit city proper) draw dealers from as far away as Bad Axe (up by Saginaw Bay) and Marine City (just south of Port Huron) to the show, making it possible to check their inventories and prices in one place when driving between all the different shops would be totally impractical.

Also, the atmosphere of these shows is a draw unto itself if you're a gun nut like me (I tell my girlfriend they're "cultural events," but she doesn't seem to believe me). If you've ever wanted an obnoxious bumper-sticker, old military field manuals, discounted and gently used military fatigues, ancient and well-worn police surplus holsters, dirt-cheap Soviet Bloc surplus ammo, handloaded ammo of dubious quality, bulk brass and most anything else gun-related, chances are good you'll find it at a gun show.

I graduated WMU in 2000, so chances are good the folks you knew had long since moved on. It's still a beautiful campus though and U of M still routinely pummels the hell out of WMU's hockey team.

Hopefully I've been of some help. Please excuse the lateness of this reply, with work and the holidays it's been a bit hectic lately.

Kyle