The Business of Guns

debate. But in the late 20th century, these shows become more and more scrutinized , not only by average Americans but also by law enforcement. Retired ATF agent David Chipman recalls that, prior to the 1980s, most private sellers used newspapers to advertise their firearms:

Gun shows, which were primarily just flea markets, became more popular because they allowed private sellers of guns to go to locations where buyers of guns would be. What you had was this interesting circumstance where . . . a licensed gun dealer set up next to a private party. Both would be selling the same gun, but they would have to abide by different laws.

This dichotomy , with two sets of rules for the sale of any given gun, became known over time as the “gun show loophole.” This loophole, in turn, attracted controversy, and it attracted politicians. The passage of gun control bills like the Brady Bill, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, made scrutiny of gun shows more prevalent. Among other things, the Brady Bill made it illegal to sell newly manufactured assault weapons or newly manufactured magazines with more than ten rounds. In 1998, the Clinton administration made efforts to tighten the gun show loophole (first introducing the term itself) further. Clinton, worried about both illegal purchases and firearm traffickers, ordered the secretary of the treasury and the attorney general to develop recommendations for addressing the gun show loophole. He hoped to mandate that gun show vendors have access to the same customer information (i.e., identification and background checks) that federally licensed gun dealers collect. These recommendations, however, never made it into his administration’s policy. What’s more, many politicians and

Chapter 3: Gun Shows

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