by Sometimes those of us who live in what I affectionately call free states forget that there still is a vibrant gun culture in states with draconian gun laws like New York, or Massachusetts or California. While it is all too easy to just say that gun owners should move out of those states, family or work obligations often make this impossible.
The vibrancy of the gun culture “behind enemy lines” can be shown in this report about a gun show held this past weekend at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.
The Westchester County Council had voted to ban gun shows on county-owned property but County Executive Rob Astorino (R-Westchester) vetoed it. As such, the gun show went on.
At 8:30 a.m., the line to enter Saturday’s gun and knife show was already wrapped around the side of the Westchester County Center. By 3 p.m., the steady-moving line was just as long.
County Executive Rob Astorino said attendance numbers from the first day of the show were expected to break the anticipated two-day total. Astorino vetoed legislation Thursday that moved to ban gun shows on county-owned property.
“I tried to look at this issue not in the emotional way, as some people wanted me to do it,” he said. “There was no justification to ban a gun show based on the facts and based on the law.”
This was the first time in four years that a gun show had been held at the center. The last one was scheduled in early 2013 but was cancelled due to reaction to the Newtown school murders.
H/T Stephen Wenger