CHANTILLY, Va. – For gun enthusiasts, this weekend is a good time to shop.
The D.C. area’s largest gun show kicked off Friday afternoon at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly.
“This show is 1,050 tables. We have over 270 separate vendors,” says Annette Elliott, president of Showmasters, which runs the gun show. The National Gun Show runs through 5 p.m. Sunday.
Elliott says gun sales are up in Virginia.
“In 2011 there were 200,000 firearms transactions going though FBI background checks, 300,000 in 2012 and we are on schedule to be at 400,000 this year,” she says, based on Virginia State Police data.
Meanwhile, neighboring Maryland has passed some of the toughest gun laws in the country this year. The new law will limit magazines to 10 bullets, require fingerprinting for gun purchases and ban assault-style guns.
Elliott says the recent revelations the federal government is spying on Americans’ phone calls and internet use could trigger a jump in gun sales. She says both political parties are to blame and is another example of a government that’s grown too big.
If you can’t make to this weekend’s gun show, the next show at the Dulles Expo Center is July 26, 27 and 28.
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