Gun collectors fear Clinton's proposal will put them out of business

LAS VEGAS - As collectors wandered through the aisles of antique guns on Saturday, many feared President Clinton's proposal to crack down on gun shows would put them out of business.

"That's a powerful weapon," Jonathan Peck, 86, of Avon, Conn., said as potential buyers admired his gun collection. "They're doing a lot of things to take the fun out of collecting."

Peck and the hundreds of other collectors at the Las Vegas Antique Arms Show Saturday swapped opinions of Clinton's weekly radio address and concluded that it was just another attempt to prevent people from owning guns.

Clinton requested legislation to require background checks on all firearms buyers at gun shows, which he said have become "cash-and-carry convenience stores for weapons used to maim and kill."

Clinton said the 1994 Brady law's requirement for background checks - meant to bar felons from owning guns - now should include gun-show sales by unlicensed collectors and private hobbyists.

He also called for federal registration of all gun show promoters and for extending federal record-keeping requirements to unlicensed firearms vendors.

"Why should someone like Bill Clinton tell me how to live my life?" asked Ron Holden, a collector from Williamsburg, Iowa.

Most collectors and those just browsing were offended that Clinton wants to impose on gun shows.

"That's ridiculous," said Tom McCormick, 43, of San Diego.

At the Las Vegas show, more than 10,000 antique guns were on display, some selling for $1 million.

"There's less crime in that room than there is in Disneyland," show director Wallace Beinfeld said, pointing inside the exhibit hall. "He's part of the belief that the Second Amendment is garbage."

"This is a classic case of the government penalizing the many because of the actions of a few."

Beinfeld said if the legislation passes, gun shows will still continue.

But others weren't so sure.

"The laws affect the honest collector," Robert Lee, president of Hunting World, Inc. in Sparks, said, running his hand over a gun built in the 1500s. "The criminal isn't going to register his guns. He doesn't care.

"We are law-abiding collectors. This could put collectors out of business," he said, shaking his head.

John Millius, 40, a collector from Los Angeles, said: "I think he ought to obey the law first before he worries about telling us what to do."

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