Big crowds expected at Fort Myers gun show this weekend

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Organizers of the Florida Gun Shows are expecting anywhere between 5,000-8,000 people at event this weekend at the Lee Civic Center.

“There’s a lot of people out there scared and nervous, not really sure where the future’s going to go,” Scott Mongeon said.

There will be dozens of booths selling firearms, ammo, and other accessories. The show comes to Fort Myers about every eight weeks, but organizers are anticipating a bigger crowd than normal.

“We’re definitely going to see an increase. I mean we’re already seeing an increase in ammo sales, seeing an increase in high capacity magazines,” Mongeon explained.

President Obama is working on a proposal that would expand background checks on gun sales without congressional approval. This comes after recent mass shootings across the country. White House officials are trying to close the so-called “gun show loophole” which allows people to buy a weapon without a background check.

Organizers of this event, however, say background checks at gun shows in Florida re nothing new.

“Everybody goes through an extensive background check and there are a lot of concerned citizens that are getting more and more concealed weapon permits because I mean, who knows what’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, where it’s going to happen,” Mongeon said.

People with the Florida Gun Shows say this type of event is often misunderstood and workers at booths keep a close eye on who should get a gun and who shouldn’t.

“These people don’t buy these guns to plan a mass killing, they just don’t do that. They do it for sport, they do it for hunting, they do it for the right reasons, not the wrong reasons,” Mongeon said.