TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Tupelo Gun and Knife Show kicked off this weekend to good crowds, according to organizers.
"It's really been up public-wise and vendor-wise. We've seen a great number of people in here today," said Melissa Kelly, gun show manager for the Tupelo Furniture Market.
Vendors say they are seeing a rise in their business, too.
"It's been steady all day. I've been very pleased with the turnout. If you don't have a good handgun for self defense, ladies, come on down and see us," said Laurie Martin, an Ellisville gun vendor who set up at the show.
In fact, some ladies did frequent the gun show and leave with an item or two.
The Tupelo Gun and Knife Show has just about anything a gun enthusiast could want, even earplugs.
But in the back of some people's minds are the rumblings of what some consider an effort to take away their rights to bear arms by way of stricter gun laws.
"What's going to really cause problems if they try to take them is that people are going to lose money. And nobody likes to lose money. Plus, nobody likes to lose their rights. It is my right to own it and I've never hurt anyone," Randolph resident Glen Wood said.
Some of these gun owners say they feel pressured following recent events that have brought gun control back into the national scene.
Some say it's not fair that they should be punished for the crimes of a few.
"My opinion is that people has a right to bear arms. And I believe if every American would use the guns the way they are supposed to be used, to hunt for sports, we wouldn't have a problem with it," Smithville resident John Kuykendall said. "You know, the problem is [with] most of these kids [who] come up, it's how they were raised. I was raised on how to respect a gun."
There was an uncertainty amongst some visitors here.
They were wondering if now is the time to buy as many weapons as they can before some kind of weapons ban is implemented.
"People are kind of panicky," said Andy Anderson, a gun enthusiast from Okolona. "They're afraid the time is coming where we won't be able to get guns or ammunition for hunting or protection. People are nervous. They don't feel safe. The more bad things you see on the news, it scares people. People feel unsafe to a certain extent. [In my opinion,] teachers buy more guns than any other group. They don't feel safe."
Gun show organizers say the same rules for buyers purchasing a weapon at the show are the same when purchasing from gun retailers in Mississippi.
