SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The gun debate is front and center in our nation right now. From the violence at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut to the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting.
This weekend the issue of gun control could be taking center stage at a gun show at the Santa Maria Fairpark.
A lot of states have what's called a "gun show loophole" that allows you to just walk in purchase a gun, and walk out right then and there without the typical background checks. But that's not the case here in California.
Those looking to buy a gun this weekend will have to go through the same checks as if they were buying it from a gun store, but there's an exception. Rifles and shotguns over 50 years old are exempt from that rule. Ammunition is exempt as well. And one local gun shop manager says he expects a lot of people will be at the gun show to stockpile on ammo.
"We've been hearing some nightmare stories," says gun shop manager Joe DeGeus. "We've been hearing there have been lines around the building. Normally where you could get something like a thousand rounds for $300 to $350, now they are charging up to $900. It is unbelievable."
the gun show coordinator says that the limit on how much ammunition someone can buy is up to the vendor. People purchasing guns will have to wait the typical 10-day waiting period before they get their gun.
