The Florida Gun Show kicks off this weekend at the Florida State Fairgrounds. With discussions about gun control, the show is obviously drawing some controversy, Especially when it comes to the so called “gun show loophole.”
The loophole allows people to buy a gun without getting a background check, however, it’s not necessarily a gun show issue.
Of the hundreds of vendors at the fairgrounds for the event, more than 95 percent of them are required by law to run background checks as licensed dealers.
But, private citizens who come to the show can also sell their weapons. And like any sale of a private firearm in the state of Florida, no background check is required.
“I see it as something that should be looked at, yes,” Bruce Kitzis of Shooter’s World said about the loophole.
Whether at a gun show or in a parking lot, he says private sales should be checked.
“You can close that, all transactions must be done through a licensed background check,” he said.
On the other hand, there’s nothing stopping someone from doing their own check either.
Many gun shops will do a transfer, and background check for a small fee.
If you’re a private seller at the gun show this weekend, staff there says they’ll do the same.
“That way you make sure the gun is going to somebody who should have it,” show manager Robert Geisler said.
Even though the law doesn’t require it.
It is illegal for someone to knowingly sell a gun to someone who legally can’t have one.
People can also get a criminal background check by going to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website. It costs $24, which is more expensive than most licensed dealers and isn’t as detailed.
