Moses Lake Gun Show offers shopping, networking opportunities

MOSES LAKE — The Northwest Gun Show was held at the Grant County Fairgrounds on March 12-13 and saw a vast array of vendors from all over the Pacific Northwest.

Ron Warren, promoter for Northwest Gun Shows said the gun show not only gives the public the opportunity to buy guns, gun accessories and ammunition among other things, but they can also sell their guns and network. Lately the most popular product at gun shows has been ammunition, Warren said.

Warren also said the biggest misconception about gun shows, called the gun show loophole, is that someone can just buy a gun at a gun show and walk away with it the same day with no background checks and proper processes. Warren said the process is no different than if someone were to purchase a firearm at a sporting goods store. All the vendors who sell guns at the show are licensed to do so and go through the proper process to vet buyers before allowing weapons to be taken home.

When asked what the parameters were on what could be sold at the gun show, Warren said “Keyword there is legal. So, there's no full auto, no short-barreled rifles. Now there may be one on display but that would be owned by a vendor. You can’t own that unless you have a special class four license or you get the tax stamp.”

George Waters of Soap Lake had a table full of knives, pepper spray, brass knuckles, tasers and other self-defense items. Waters said he comes to the shows because he wants to be able to provide self-defense products at an affordable price to anyone who may need them.

Robert Thomas owner of Okanogan Arms Company said he comes to the Moses Lake gun show every year, and has for the past six years. The business only travels to a handful of gun shows in Central Washington apart from Moses Lake.

Okanagan Arms Company specializes in being a custom AR-15 builder, so they sell a lot of AR-15 parts and tactical style shotguns, Thomas said.

“One of the things that sets us apart from most of the other vendors that are here is that we're a class three dealer. We sell suppressors, we can demo them in our store so people can get an idea what they're buying. We take care of all the paperwork for them, the fingerprinting process and I'm a notary so we can get it notarized. So when somebody shows up, they don't have to leave and drive all over,” Thomas said.

Thomas also mentioned that the Bureau of Alchohol Tobacco and Firearms process for filing a transfer for a suppressor to an individual used to be very long but has now switched over to a digital system which has sped up the process. What used to take up to a year, now takes approximately 90 days, he said.

The firearms show will return to the Grant County Fairgrounds again Sept. 10-11, just after the Grant County Fair.