So I was at the Fort Wayne gun show this weekend. There were not that many people there, which meant that I made it through the whole show in about an hour, and I spent some time talking to a few of the sellers just because I was by myself, and I wanted to talk guns.

Realistically, the prices sucked. I find much better prices at H&H Firearms on Coliseum in Fort Wayne on used guns. I however did not try to talk any sellers down on their prices. I was strictly looking at sticker prices.

I did see some really good prices on a Ruger 10/22 Gatling gun ($750), a Ruger 10/22 rifle for $209(new), an Armalite AR-15 ($843 new) .

Knife wise, the pricing was pretty standard throughout the show. Smith & Wesson knives ranged from 2 for $25 to $15 each, and most other knives were priced from $20-50. There were a few tables offering used knives, but not the type that most people are looking for in a used knife. By this I mean if I buy a used knife it should be a high dollar, high quality knife at a discounted price. A used knife should not be a regular pocket knife that anyone can buy at a 10% discount. There were also a few tables offering collector knives like WW1 and WW2 bayonets, Vietnam era survival knives, and several limited edition knives. But all of the bayonets and collector knives offered were very, very rough. None were collector quality, and none were really worth buying unless you just really wanted a knife or bayonet that is supposedly historic and worthless.

What really sucked about this show to me though was the fact that I was looking for a handgun safe, and some cannon grade black-powder, and there was absolutely nothing even closely resembling either of these items available at this show.

Oh well, maybe I will find my items at the show in Indianapolis next weekend.

Gun show in Indianapolis on October 23,24, & 25.
Here is a link: http://www.indy1500.com/.
The website to the show is pretty bad, but the show is at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. The location is the corner Binford Blvd., and 38th street.

So the city of Fort Wayne pays I&M to manage a vital city infrastructure that they are incapable of managing. This private company in good faith invests a lot of money in this infrastructure, and improves it immensely for the citizens of Fort Wayne. So after bailing out the city of Fort Wayne, the typical Democrat tactic is now to take over this free enterprise that a hard working company invested in, built up, and maintained in good faith for many years. So the story is very common. Private business builds jobs, invests money in the community, and Democratic government tries to take it over. Too bad Democrats do not appreciate hard working individuals. When will Democrats realize that Government can’t properly manage any business because they have zero incentive to succeed?

Article published Oct 15, 2009 in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette from Staff Reporters
I&M says it’s taking legal action against City of Fort Wayne

The city and Indiana-Michigan Power Co.’s negotiations have reached a new level of strife. I&M announced today it will seek legal action against the city because, “the (c)ity has stated that it may attempt to unilaterally terminate the (City Light) Lease and take possession of I&M’s electrical system sometime after October 19, 2009.” I&M said it has asked Allen Superior Court to prevent the city from attempting to take over electrical service. The two sides have been in mediation discussions for the past several weeks trying to hammer out an agreement to end or extend the 35-year lease.

This is the standard anti-gun, anti-constitution talking points letter that I received in response:

Dear Mr. Alberson,

Thank you for sharing your concerns about Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG). Because we have had so many inquiries about the mayor’s involvement with this coalition, Mayor Henry asked me to respond to you by sharing accurate information about MAIG and its purpose and goals. As with any heated issue, misinformation can inflame those passions. When you strip away the misinformation and misunderstanding, you’ll find that goals of Mayors Against Illegal Guns are similar to the goals of most, if not all law-abiding gun owners: protect the right of Americans to own guns, but keep criminals and terrorists from possessing guns illegally. So, here is the truth about Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

The most important thing to understand about Mayors Against Illegal Guns is the fact that this coalition of about 450 mayors supports the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners and gun dealers. MAIG supports legal gun ownership and is complimentary, not contradictory to gun owner rights and the Second Amendment. This group of mayors includes gun owners, including several National Rifle Association (NRA) members. One of those MAIG/NRA members is Mayor Richard Ward of Hurst, Texas. You can read an op-ed piece he recently wrote for the Fort Worth Star Telegram by clicking this link: http://www.star-telegram.com/242/story/1639282.html

The focus of Mayors Against Illegal Guns is one thing and one thing only – law enforcement. As mayors, the most important function of the members of MAIG is to ensure public safety by upholding the law in their respective communities across America. The group’s sole purpose is to keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists. It’s that simple.

Let me address some specific concerns raised in a recent NRA mailing:

The idea that the coalition opposes concealed carry permits is simply not true. What the mayors oppose is federal legislation that tramples existing state laws. This is a state’s rights issue for the coalition. Mayors Against Illegal Guns supports the rights of cities and states to adopt their own concealed carry requirements. Police chiefs, state police and law enforcement agencies across the country agree with this position.

The concern that the coalition wants to shut down gun shows is also inaccurate. The only reason the coalition supports requiring background checks on gun sales at gun shows is to keep criminals and terrorists from buying guns there. Colorado, Pennsylvania and Oregon all require background checks at gun shows, and gun shows continue to thrive in those states. The only thing that has been shut down is the ability of criminals and terrorists to use gun shows as a way of avoiding detection.

Finally, the notion that the coalition advocates the repeal of gun owner privacy rights is perhaps the biggest myth of all. The Tiahrt Amendments have restricted police access to gun trace data, information that is critical to identifying patterns of illegal gun trafficking. The coalition supports reforming the Tiahrt Amendments only to the point that they would give our police the tools that need to catch criminals – not to violate the privacy of gun owners. Not only have hundreds of police chiefs and dozens of law enforcement organizations supported such reform, this year Congress is considering reforms of some of the restrictions on police access to trace data – a move that is supported not only by Mayors Against Illegal Guns but by the National Rifle Association, too.

Mayor Henry appreciates the fact that protecting the rights of law abiding gun owners is an important issue that many people are extremely passionate about. When you understand the truth about what Mayors Against Illegal Guns really stands for, you’ll understand that the only people who need to be worried are criminals and terrorists.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns.

Sincerely,

Vince Robinson

Director of Public Information

City of Fort Wayne/Office of Mayor Tom Henry

(260) 427-6957

vince.robinson@cityoffortwayne.org

www.cityoffortwayne.org