Some family members were thinking to go to the local gun show
but the lines outside in the cold today a friday were 3 hours long.
And tomorrow could be worst for waits. So no one is going.
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A crowd estimated to far exceed last year's streamed to the Indiana State Fairgrounds Friday for the Indy 1500 Gun & Knife Show.
One hour before the 2 p.m. opening a line three and four people deep snaked around three corners of the West Pavilion.
At the same time, exhibitors unloaded ifles, shotguns, handguns and hunting gear from trailers.
A spokeswoman for the show said she expected the crowd to outpace last year's turnout of 8,000 to 10,000 visitors by several thousand.
About 250 exhibitors have reserved spots at the show.
After the Newtown, Conn. school massacre, gun shows came under scrutiny because some of the sellers are unlincensed and exempt from conducting background checks.
Eliminating that exemption is a centerpiece of President Barak Obama’s sweeping gun control initiative. Academics, Capitol Hill observers and gun control advocates say closing the exemption is the most likely part of the gun package that both Republicans and Democrats in congress could support.
Among those waiting in line was James Engelking, 31.
Engelking, Indianapolis, was carrying an AK-47 he hoped to sell for $900.
He said he needs the money to buy bunk beds for his children.
"I recently became a foster parent and this isn't something I do not absolutely need," Engelking said.
He said he bought the gun a few months ago from a dealer for $600.
"I'll bet I sell it before I walk through the door, he said.
If he does sell it he will have a licensed dealer run a criminal background check on the buyer, he said. It will cost him about $30.
