{"id":52131,"date":"2020-08-15T18:28:17","date_gmt":"2020-08-16T00:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/who-bought-tickets-to-the-gun-show\/"},"modified":"2020-08-16T00:28:17","modified_gmt":"2020-08-16T00:28:17","slug":"who-bought-tickets-to-the-gun-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/who-bought-tickets-to-the-gun-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Who bought tickets to the Gun Show?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Tables
Tables were spaced out at the Gun Show in Cortez this weekend. Normally, the Gun Show is held in April, but the event was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The annual Gun Show at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds kicked off Friday evening, shortly before hunting season. Normally the show comes to town in April, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the event to August.<\/p>\n

Joe Butterfield, president of the Four Corners Rifle and Pistol Club, which sponsors the event, said the gun show raises money for the Junior Shooters program. There was a $5 entrance fee.<\/p>\n

The Junior Shooters program aims to develop marksmanship and gun safety for shooters ages 10 to 20, according to the website.<\/p>\n

After visitors had their temperature taken and recorded for COVID-19 monitoring, they signed a waiver and headed into the large indoor barn, decked out with tables and vendors.<\/p>\n

Michael Knehs, a vendor with the licensed dealer ETSS LLC of Hotchkiss, said the Cortez show was one of the only shows this year because of COVID-19. His table had long-range target rifles, collectible rifles and big-game hunting rifles.<\/p>\n

\"Michael
Michael Knehs, a vendor for ETSS LLC, explains the different types of rifles at the Gun Show in Cortez on Saturday.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He estimated that with the lost shows, the company missed out on $10,000, which is notable for a small company like ETSS.<\/p>\n

But other local vendors work on rifles as a hobby.<\/p>\n

Cameron Stevens restored several SKS rifles made in China in the 1980s. Stevens found the rifles, originally made in the Soviet Union, them in his uncle\u2019s safe, and figured they would be a good restoration project. He researched all the parts to rebuild the rifle, along with the history of why the rifles work the way they do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a fun project,\u201d Stevens said.<\/p>\n

\"Ron
Ron Ferguson, owner of RDF Gun in Cortez, said many people are at the Cortez Gun Show to buy ammunition because of the national shortage.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Also on the table were handguns made in Italy and Spain, imported by the European American Armory. But the biggest seller on Saturday was ammunition.<\/p>\n

Ted Hamilton from Glenwood Springs sold palm skinners, along with other knives for hunting and breaking down animals. He also sold large military-type knives.<\/p>\n

Hamilton was in the Navy from 1962-66, and grew up hunting deer and elk in Delta.<\/p>\n

\"Ted
Ted Hamilton sells palm skinners and other knives for hunting, as well as novelty knives, at the Cortez Gun Show.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Other vendors were promoting their businesses at the gun show.<\/p>\n

Robert Kehr, originally from Alaska, recently opened a gunsmith business in Cortez called Kehr Custom Arms Ltd. He said he can repair or manufacture almost any gun part, and customize paint and metal finishes.<\/p>\n

He and his wife went to the gun show to advertise their new business.<\/p>\n

\"Robert
Robert Kehr, originally from Alaska, recently opened a gunsmith business in Cortez called Kehr Custom Arms.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Along with rifles and handguns, some vendors sold stun guns. Sharlina Crawford, owner of Foxy and Fierce Defense, said her company strives to keep women and children safe at an affordable price. She sells products including stun guns, pepper spray, knives and flashlights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to give people a different option,\u201d Crawford said. By late morning on Saturday, Crawford sold about six or seven stun guns.<\/p>\n

She is a victim of domestic violence, and said a lot of women \u201cdon\u2019t think it\u2019s a problem, but it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sharlina
Sharlina Crawford&#x2019;s mission is to provide women with affordable protection through her business Foxy and Fierce Defense.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Her company provides discounts for women in need, and she donates some products to shelters.<\/p>\n

Gus Schultz, a vendor from Utah, said stun guns are good for women who \u201cdon\u2019t want to shoot anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one dies, but they are definitely knocked on the ground,\u201d Schultz said.<\/p>\n

In addition to stun guns that look like lipstick, Schultz sold hats with President Donald Trump\u2019s name on them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it says \u2018Trump,\u2019 they just go,\u201d Schultz said. He will sell 20 to 40 in a day at shows across the country.<\/p>\n

Signs for Trump, along with Trump hats, were popular and proudly displayed. The Montezuma County Republican Women\u2019s booth promoted 3rd Congressional District candidate Lauren Boebert\u2019s campaign rally later Saturday.<\/p>\n

Craig Wright said it was his first time to the Cortez show, and he wanted to look at hunting equipment and show his political support for the Republican candidates.<\/p>\n

\"Local
Local veterans Ed Bracklaw (second from left), Army; Rich Rosner, Army; Rich Kriner, Marine Corps; Scott Magness, Army; and John Shriner, Army, present the colors at the Cortez Gun Show Saturday.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Other vendors sold CBD products, metal artwork and even windows.<\/p>\n

The CBD vendor from Colorado Springs, Tina Marlow, said her company has a following of law enforcement officers and members of the military because she has a certificate of analysis verifying that there is almost no trace of THC in her products, which people use to relieve pain and anxiety.<\/p>\n

People who are drug-tested for their job feel more comfortable using it, she said.<\/p>\n

Deb Ashby\u2019s business, Command Concealment, sells systems that conceal weapons in a house or a car. The most popular item was a magnet that can hold a 20-pound handgun, along with a strap to mount a handgun in a car.<\/p>\n

But Ashby also sells jewelry her husband crafts out of bullets.<\/p>\n

\"In
In addition to gun magnets and holster concealment brackets, Deb Ashby and her husband Bill Bowsher sell jewelry made out of bullets.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re one of the more interesting booths,\u201d Ashby said.<\/p>\n

Tiffany Nichols and David Krumwiede browsed for hunting gear. They also enjoyed being out of the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something to do,\u201d Nichols said, laughing. She and Krumwiede purchased knives and ammunition.<\/p>\n

Local resident Jay Harrison browsed and looked for a good deal.<\/p>\n

Larger companies like Osprey Global and IJK Optics also were at the gun show, selling lasers and optics before hunting season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s also some good distance shooters here,\u201d said IJK Optics employee James Mitchell. This weekend was the company\u2019s first time at the Cortez show. The events serve as good advertising, but other shows in the area were canceled.<\/p>\n

Butterfield, president of the Four Corners Rifle and Pistol Club, surveyed vendors to find out if they wanted to go back to an April date next year or repeat the August dates. As of early Saturday afternoon, vendors were split.<\/p>\n

\"Jerry
Jerry Krob, owner and artist of Reflections in Metal, sells pieces Saturday at the Cortez Gun Show.<\/span>Emily Hayes\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cIn August, people are gearing up for hunting season,\u201d Butterfield said. \u201cBut April is tax season, so people spend money,\u201d he said, because of their tax refunds.<\/p>\n

ehayes@the-journal.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look at different vendors, visitors at the Montezuma County event<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-52131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52131"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=52131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}