guns-980.jpg
What ultimately people see is a black scary gun and they're frightened by the black scary gun and they want to know why you would need a black scary gun," said John Rodabaugh, president of the Washington Arms Collectors. (AP Photo/File)

Firearm enthusiasts fear ban on 'black scary guns'

BY Brandi Kruse  on January 19, 2013 @ 3:40 pm (Updated: 5:45 am - 1/21/13 )

"They're trying to get their AR-15's, their 47's and all that. All the big guns," said a man standing in line outside the Puyallup Fair Grounds Saturday.

He was one of hundreds of people waiting to get inside a gun show hosted by the Washington Arms Collectors, a two-day event which brought in an estimated 10,000 attendees.

"They're scared that Obama's going to get rid of the second amendment," he said of show-goers.

Although non-members could attend, only registered WAC members were allowed to purchase firearms at the event. Those individuals have undergone necessary background checks, according to President John Rodabaugh.

Mike, who ran a booth selling specialty ammo and survival gear, said "panic" over the current gun control debate has led to a "buying frenzy."

"(Lawmakers) are going to use this opportunity, this tragedy, to push through their agenda," he said, speaking of the Dec. 14 mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

Rodabaugh said guns and gun owners have been unfairly targeted in the wake of the shooting.

"There's a lot of response to fear that the government is going to enact Draconian measures on law-abiding citizens who have done nothing wrong," he said.

The current debate over gun control has centered around a ban on certain assault-style weapons to help prevent tragedies like the Sandy Hook shooting and the massacre at an Aurora, Colo., movie theatre on July 20, 2012.

"Telling 80-million gun owners that they can't own this gun because it looks scarier than this gun isn't going to do that," he said. "What ultimately people see is a black scary gun and they're frightened by the black scary gun and they want to know why you would need a black scary gun."

The gun show kicked off while "Gun Appreciation Day" rallies were taking place around the country, including one in Olympia that brought in an estimated 2,000 participants. Some supporters brought copies of the constitution to show their support for the Second Amendment.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (134)


  • Add A Comment

  • Recife wrote...
    Hey Drool
    January 20, 2013 4:48 am
    Can we do a background check for people who vote? Or how about a background check for the Media, I would like that.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • RonJ wrote...
    I say we do a
    January 20, 2013 5:40 am
    citizenship test before you can vote. There's way too many low or no-information voters.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Drool wrote...
    Re: Citizenship Test
    January 20, 2013 9:32 am
    The RWNJs would fail. You are seeing it right now with all these threats to impeach the president.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    This is not an excutive order if it was Obama would be impeached Immediately -
    January 20, 2013 5:42 am
    Impeached Immediately like W Bush was with his "Executive Orders"?? To run over the NRA will be easier than what King Obama did to the GOP!! Leave your guns at the curb and the Government will pick them up!! The GOP is not in charge. We Won!! Gun free America!! Thank you Lord!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    NRA can -
    January 20, 2013 6:01 am
    flock off!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AceBass wrote...
    Im a memeber of the NRA and......
    January 21, 2013 11:21 am
    I dare ya :)
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    Wow a 300% increase in attendance....
    January 20, 2013 7:26 am
    and Obama's inauguration was down 60% from his last inauguration....hmmmm....what do we suppose that means?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Sicko
    January 20, 2013 9:36 am
    I have NO idea what that means do you?However I did know that Obama handily won TWO elections in a row,what do you suppose that means?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 2112 wrote...
    That
    January 20, 2013 12:25 pm
    The blood sucking parasites now outnumber the people who carry the freight
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    That means
    January 20, 2013 12:44 pm
    There are a lot of really stupid, ill- informed, low information morons in this country.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HikerACE wrote...
    Wow
    January 20, 2013 6:56 pm
    If the election were a poll it would have been considered a statistical tie. I'm impressed at how he handily won. Give me Reagan numbers and then talk handily.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Micheel wrote...
    Give 'em a gun
    January 20, 2013 7:37 am
    Why is it the progressive liberals that steal or buy guns, who then go and kill fellow soldiers, movie goers, and children in school, but have never been a conservative NRA member? Ft Hood~~~ Registered Democrat ~ Muslim Columbine ~~~ Too young to vote; both families were registered Democrats and progressive liberals Virginia Tech ~~~ Wrote hate mail to President Bush and to his staff ~ Registered Democrat Colorado Theater ~~~Registered Democrat; staff worker on the Obama campaign; Occupy Wall Street participant; progressive liberal Connecticut School Shooter- ~~~ Registered Democrat; hated Christians. Common thread is that all of these shooters were progressive liberal Democrats." INTERESTING, isn't it?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MadManx wrote...
    re
    January 21, 2013 8:16 am
    All government orchestrated murders.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Newton wrote...
    An idiot tried to do a Theater shooting in Texas. Bad Idea.
    January 20, 2013 8:09 am
    A Deputy was watching a movie at the same time when the idiot intered the Theater. He started shooting. The Deputy put four holes in the guy. Needless to say the shooting well it stopped instantly. No Media Report on how guns protect people at all. Makes you wonder what side the media is on. Hmmmmm?.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Newton
    January 20, 2013 9:22 am
    The mall shooting in Oregon was also stopped because of a concealed carry citizen. Notice how that story dropped out of the news almost immediately?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Drool wrote...
    Not it wasn't
    January 20, 2013 9:35 am
    You need to read the ACTUAL story rather than the crap the right is putting out. There is an interview with the actual person that drew down on the shooter and he says he would like to think he caused him to stop and go kill himself but the perps gun had already jammed anyway. The perp went elsewhere in the mall where nobody was any more and then killed himself once he got his weapon functioning.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Newton wrote...
    "Drool" the Goverment Paid Lier
    January 20, 2013 7:15 pm
    Disinformation Like Drool is a very old trick from a satanic view of the what happened.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    And Newton is a paid Government spell checker
    January 21, 2013 8:45 am
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Drool wrote...
    Newton
    January 21, 2013 10:25 am
    Why don't you go out on the web and watch the interview a TV station did with the guy that was legally carrying his Glock and drew on the shooter. HE only would like to think he stopped further shooting but being a truthful logical individual cannot and does not confirm it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Drool
    January 21, 2013 5:17 pm
    HE only would like to think he stopped further shooting but being a truthful logical individual cannot and does not confirm it.

    But of course you know better since you share the same mind as the killer so you know the reason he killed himself wasn't because he was confronted with an adversary. Did you notice the guy said he was aiming but pulled up when he saw people running behind the shooter...the left always goes on about how everyone will shoot innocents with some wild west shootout...didn't happen, did it?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Drool wrote...
    Another Story Short on Facts
    January 20, 2013 9:48 am
    The shooting started outside the theater in a restaurant and the cop was moonlighting working security. The suspect was chased into a bathroom from the lobby where the cop neutralized the suspect. Yes, I saw the story in the media, dummy.

    So how much was this like the Colorado theater shooting? No much except a theater and a weapon were involved.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Freedom and liberty.
    January 20, 2013 8:51 am
    Take note lefties. This is what it looks like.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    HPD mall cop
    January 20, 2013 9:41 am
    If I showed you photos of the dead kids in the class room and dead civilians in a movie theater would that also be what Freedom and Liberty looks like?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    But Conn has some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the nation.
    January 20, 2013 12:42 pm
    So you leftie, anti-gun theory should've worked. Oh...wait... Like I said: liberals can't grasp common sense or math.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Mall Cop
    January 21, 2013 8:40 am
    Actually its your side that has problems with reality.Any State can put strict laws for guns or anything else for that matter but if the item is available just across the border then the law will not be as effective as it is meant to be,but its certainly a start.Social change happens in small steps.When I was 21 yrs old Drunk Driving was not a Big Deal in fact it was basically a traffic ticket,but over time as laws change and the public was educated to the devastation caused by DWI attitudes have changed and although we drive more miles deaths are down.LAWS can work
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    Five down, three kids in New Mexico
    January 20, 2013 9:59 am
    http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/20/abqnewsseeker/breaking-five-dead-in-south-valley-shooting.html

    Guns aren't the problem though, he probably could have done it with a hammer.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • deltta wrote...
    lawn
    January 20, 2013 11:41 am
    I wonder where the 15yo purchased the "assault" rifle?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    Did he really need to purchase it?
    January 20, 2013 2:05 pm
    Or did he get it out of small dicked wannabe's closet?

    I'm sure we'll know soon.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • deltta wrote...
    lawn
    January 20, 2013 3:43 pm
    So did he steal it?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • deltta wrote...
    Oh, and lawn
    January 20, 2013 3:44 pm
    Some of us are just has been's......with skills
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Guns are bad. Only in the hands of criminals.
    January 20, 2013 1:04 pm
    http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2012/12/mass-killings-stopped-by-armed-citizens.html
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-nevada-lawmaker-threats-20130120,0,3537764.story
    January 20, 2013 1:54 pm
    Democrat caught making FELONY threats.. No gun rights for you !!!! Criminal!!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    That crowd looks to be our best and brightest!
    January 20, 2013 2:10 pm
    I'm sure Bill Gates was there somewhere. Overflowing with 1%ers.

    Mostly looked like obese losers.

    Did I spot Flounder in there?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    William Lawn
    January 20, 2013 3:42 pm
    I am sure you are a pillar of society .. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pillar%20of%20society
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Jeff Schroeder wrote...
    Thank God I have an Assault Rifle...
    January 20, 2013 5:38 pm
    ...to fend off the Guvments Cruise Missiles and Apache Helicopters when they come for me. Dip5hits.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }