Guns and more draw crowd to mall show

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Guns and more draw crowd to mall showBy Robb FrederickTRIBUNE-REVIEWSunday, January 20, 2002 Seen at the Greengate Mall gun show, on a bumper sticker underlined for emphasis:"If guns kill people, spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat."That sort of sums up the Charlton-Heston-is-my-president set, the card-carrying, Constitution-quoting true believers. The ones the liberals laughed at, until times got bad.A few thousand of them went shopping Saturday. They milled about the mall's exhibition tables, through row after row of shotguns and sighted rifles, the triggers blocked with plastic cigar cases. They talked Remingtons and Second Amendment rights, Sept. 11 and that bum Osama bin Laden, bull's-eyed on targets that went three for a dollar.The show, the first of six this year, continues today.The Pennsylvania Gun Collectors Association plays host to the Greengate shows, which usually draw up to 8,000 people. Regulars said yesterday's turnout was even heavier than usual.That was because of the weather, some said. Or the war.A crowd that big brings all kinds. So, in addition to the guns, vendors laid out books, bomber jackets and leather Bible covers. Some sold shoulder holsters, and six-shooter speed loaders. Others had military patches, and medals under glass. Another had Nazi flags.There were astronaut patches, Indian headdresses and a $100 coyote pelt. There were gun safes, and gun safety class sign-ups.But mostly there were guns. Polished rifles, and shotguns with camouflaged stocks. Purse pistols, with mother-of-pearl. Dirty Harry hand cannons. "They have almost anything you'd want," said Michael Miskove, who wanted a holster.Miskove, of Connellsville, represents another arm of the gun lobby. He's a security guard, and he was shopping for work supplies. A semi-automatic, maybe. His .357 can get a little heavy."The nice thing is, if you need to know anything, or if you have any questions, the people are right there," he said.That drew Lou Grobmyer, a member of the Shaner Sportsmen Club. He's shot since he was a boy, but he just moved into reloading, a way to reuse bullets."The big thing here is that you get to talk to people with a common interest," he said. "It's like any other hobby. You see different aspects, and different ways you can go about it."He had a wish list folded in his shirt pocket, the spring for his black-powder pistol crossed off."I get myself $100 and come here, and when I'm done, I go," he said. But he'd look a little longer - all those scopes and boxed shell casings, the grips and clips in bins like some hardware store overstock."If I see a good deal, I'll jump on it," he said. "I've still got my Visa."Brian Shrum had just one gun in mind: a .22 bolt-action Mossburg. His father bought him one when he was 11 or 12. A Christmas gift, just $49.95 at Ward's.Shrum lost that gun in his divorce, and he's wanted another ever since. He saw one for $125 last year, but it was gone by the time he went back for it. He saw another one yesterday, for $175."I might have to go back and buy that," he said, smiling.First he'd browse a bit more. He likes the military antiques, and he wanted his son, Shaun, to see some. They do this every year, driving up from Mt. Pleasant Township."It's like a tradition," he said. "Some of this stuff has a lot of meaning."Robb Frederick can be reached at rfrederick@tribweb.com or (724) 837-6689. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/westmoreland/previous/s_13332.html