Gun shows are private affairs that are open to the general public. For a small fee, people can enter and look at tables upon tables of firearms. They can handle weapons they might not even see at their local gun stores and, if so inclined, buy them. Buying a gun from a licensed dealer--and most of those tables are, in fact, run by FFL holders--still requires a background check.
However, there's a lot of other stuff sold at these events, too. Accessories are a big one, but militaria and books are also not uncommon.
It's also a place where gun owners can meet one another in relative safety and discuss gun rights and how to defend them. I can't help but believe that's the real reason behind a bill in Pennsylvania, no matter what the bill's author might claim.
Representative Amen Brown (D-10) has introduced a new bill (former HB 1563) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania legislature requiring anyone attending a gun show to show an ID. The gun show promoter must make a copy of the ID and keep it for five years. If the bill passes, they also must turn over those records to the Office of the Attorney General, any county prosecutor, or municipal police department upon request. There are no limitations as to why they can request the data.
The Representative from Philadelphia claims that he introduced the bill because “ghost guns” are sold at gun shows. No 80% kits have been sold at any gun show in the Key Stone state since the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) passed their rule against unfinished frames. Even though there was an injunction against the rule, SCOTUS stayed the decision until they could rule on it in the Vanderstok case.
“Having seen firsthand how easy it is to purchase a ghost gun kit at a gun show, I recognize that we must take legislative action to keep these weapons out of the hands of criminals,” Brown wrote. “To accomplish this, I will be introducing legislation that will require all attendees at Pennsylvania gun shows to present valid identification prior to entering the show. A copy of every attendee’s identification would be made, and the operators of the gun show must maintain these copies for at least five years. Additionally, operators would be required to make these records available to the Office of Attorney General and any county prosecutor or municipal police department upon the request of the Pennsylvania Attorney General.”
Brown apparently has an extensive anti-Second Amendment history, particularly with regard to gun shows in the state.
However, let's understand the real problem here, and that's the invasive nature of this effort.
See, Pennsylvania doesn't prohibit people from building privately made firearms--what some term as "ghost guns." It's perfectly legal to do so and no one has to undergo a background check to do so. They can order one online and have it sent to their home just so long as the vendor complies with the federal regulations created by the Biden administration.
So the argument that this is somehow necessary because of 80 percent kits is absolutely nonsense.
No, what this is about, at least in my estimation, is keeping track of who is attending gun shows. This is about creating records that can be referenced at some point in time to determine who went to these gun shows. These are people who are likely gun owners and potentially gun rights advocates.
They're also people who are distrustful of the government, which means that many will simply opt not to go to future shows in the state.
As it is, gun shows are an essential part of the gun community. They allow folks to meet like-minded people face-to-face and get that sense of community, which many people may not actually get elsewhere.
So what Brown is trying to do is end that because isolated people are much easier to manipulate. We're tribal animals and we want community. We want to know that we're not alone, and the internet isn't the same. You're not going to convince me he doesn't know this.
And that's without getting into how regulations like this will likely limit entry into gun shows only to people with ID, meaning that I couldn't take my daughter to a show with me, which may create further complications and keep additional people away.
Then again, considering Brown tried to keep Eagle Arms out of Pennsylvania gun shows, only to have that company's owner buy the gun show company and put his firm back in the shows, it's always possible the reasoning here is much more petty.
