Mike Quigley: “``Gun to the right, no gun to the left'' was the greeting I heard as I entered the Industrial Arts Building in Crown…”

“``Gun to the right, no gun to the left'' was the greeting I heard as I entered the Industrial Arts Building in Crown Point, Indiana. On this particular sunny Sunday afternoon in July, the enormous building was playing host to the Central Indiana Gun and Knife Show. The building, which sits on the Lake County Fairgrounds, plays host to garden shows, home improvement and craft vendors; but on this date, the 90-year-old brick building was featuring products that were of an altogether different nature. As they enter the gun show, visitors carrying weapons had to demonstrate to security that their guns were not loaded, while those not carrying could enter without screening. I paid my $5 entry and was asked if I resided in Indiana. Being an Illinois resident, I answered no and received a hand stamp depicting me as out of State. At first glance, I saw kids hanging around vendors, munching on hot dogs. There were several hundred people in attendance by lunchtime, mostly White, middle-aged men, but a few women as well. Judging by the license plates in the parking lot, there were a healthy number of gun enthusiasts from my home State of Illinois in attendance. At most tables, you could hear the hagglers looking for a better deal or discussing options for their purchase. They would ask: Chrome-lined or stainless steel barrel? What about a free-float rail? The possibilities seemed endless, as people wandered among dozens of tables.…”