Organizers of Crossroads of the West gun show in Del Mar, CA, expected a weekend crowd large enough to exceed twice the normal show attendance.
The reason? San Bernardino. Show owner Bob Templeton said, “People are taking control of their personal safety. They’re realizing that the police, for all the good work they do, can’t be all places at all times.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the crowds on Saturday did not disappoint. And the demand for products was so great that one gun show vendor “sold nearly 20,000 rounds of target-practice ammunition in an hour.” The ammunition salesman arrived at the show with less ammunition that usual—due to increased demands from gun stores over the past week—and by 10:30 a.m., his table “was almost bare.”
A National Rifle Association tent was set up outside the gun show. Those who walked up to the table could get bumper stickers, NRA stickers, or join the organization to help continue the fight to defend the Second Amendment.
California has some of the most strict gun controls in the country—including expanded background checks and registration for “assault weapons”—neither of which hindered the December 2 attack carried out by Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. More gun control is already in the works at the state level in response to the attacks, and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-5) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) unsuccessfully attempted to force a vote on adding the no-fly list to federal background checks last week.
Tom Koch—of Dulzura’s South Bay Rod & Gun Club—attended the Del Mar gun show and said, “Bad people will always find a way to skirt the system.” He said people are pouring into the gun show now because they want to get the guns they need before more gun control makes it even harder to defend one’s life and family.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.