The Business of Guns

There’s plenty of money to be made in an American gun show, and not necessarily in the ways you might expect. Depending on the size and popularity of the show, the most lucrative exchange might not be in firearms but in admission tickets. Gun shows average 1,000 to 7,500 visitors per day, run for an average of two days (usually weekends), and charge $5 to $50 for admission. Vendors also have to pay to display what they’ve got on sale, as there’s only a limited amount of room to go around: anywhere from 50 to 2,000 spaces are available to rent, with fees for display tables averaging around $100, and larger booths averaging about $300. Unsurprisingly, the state of Texas leads the way in the average number of gun shows, with nearly 500 per year—nearly as many as the next two states put together. Federally licensed firearms dealers typically account for 50 to 75 percent of all gun show dealers. Those who are not federally licensed, furthermore, are not necessarily selling guns: many vendors go to gun shows to sell ammunition, accessories, collector’s items, military equipment, knives, tools, and food. What is true for gun shows is also true for other swap meets and flea markets, as both federally licensed firearms dealers and private sellers have the opportunity to sell guns next to vendors who are selling everything from cookware to engine parts. There are rarely any limits on the sale of guns at either gun shows or swap meets: rifles, semiautomatics, pistols, shotguns, revolvers, and ammunition tend to be available. ATF reports suggest that machine gun parts and ammunition, as well as high-capacity magazines, can also be found at gun shows. Moreover, the quality of both guns and gun knowledge varies, with investigations determining that not all vendors are even aware of federal firearm laws. What’s more, not all federally licensed gun vendors follow the rules: 20 percent of ATF gun show investigations revealed licensed vendors selling “off the books.”

Chapter 3: Gun Shows

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