Gun buyers, dealers blast NYC report

By Mitchell Kline, The Tennessean

Stephanie Rhodes heard about New York City's undercover investigation of gun shows, including some in Tennessee, and wants Mayor Michael Bloomberg to know how she feels.

"He needs to keep his business in New York and let Tennessee deal with Tennessee," said Rhodes, a Smithville resident who attended a gun show on Sunday in Franklin.

Rhodes and her friend Rick Foster, who purchased a rifle at the show, said they've been going to gun shows for years and believe most dealers conduct background checks, or at least ask if someone is a felon before selling him or her a gun.

Agents in the New York investigation used hidden cameras while purchasing guns from people at shows in Tennessee, Ohio and Nevada. Investigators captured footage of guns being sold to people who said they wouldn't be able to pass a background check. There were also dealers who sold guns to people buying for others in order to avoid background checks.

Bloomberg released the findings of the investigation last week, highlighting what he has called loopholes in federal and state laws that allow criminals to easily obtain guns at the shows. Unlicensed dealers at Tennessee gun shows operate under the principle that sales between individuals are not regulated and do not require a background check.

"That report has given gun shows a bad name," said David Evans, a firearms dealer based in Cleveland, Tenn. "I'd like to have a talk with Mr. Bloomberg."

Evans, who brought dozens of rifles and handguns to the gun show in Franklin, said he follows every gun law there is and keeps meticulous records of who purchases his guns.

"You can come to me 25 years from now and ask me who I sold a gun to and I'll tell you," Evans said. "With any law that's out there, somebody's going to break it. I follow the laws, and if I don't, I'm subject to a $100,000 fine and 10 years in jail."

Rex Kehrli, owner of R.K. Shows, which puts on about 30 gun shows in Tennessee each year, including the one held Saturday and Sunday at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center in Franklin, said the New York report was unfair.

"If you go anywhere and look and look and look, sooner or later you'll find a bad egg," Kehrli said. "But we feel good about our system. Everything here is done out in the open. It's not a place to hide things."

Police checked guns

Police officers checked all firearms brought into the show to ensure they were unloaded and walked past tables where dealers sold brass knuckles, knives, pepper spray, handguns and assault rifles. Kehrli said there were about 500 dealers at the show, which was attended by about 2,500 people. All dealers selling at one of Kehrli's shows must sign a contract stating they'll comply with all federal, state and local laws.

Kehrli said only 5 percent of gun sellers at his shows are private or individual sellers. The rest are licensed dealers who are required to administer background checks.

"We let our actions speak for us," Kehrli said.

E. Rick Lisi Jr., owner of Gunny's Gun Shop in Livingston, Tenn., said there is a loophole. He pointed to a man sitting at a table near his and said the man was selling guns to anyone who paid cash and wasn't asking for background checks.

Lisi, who is a deputy with the Clay County Sheriff's Department, said gun show promoters should allow only federally licensed dealers at their shows.

"The quickest way to fix it, to shut down the loophole, is to make everyone do a background check," Lisi said. "There you go - no more loophole."