Biloxi Gun Show brings in enthusiasts throughout region

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - When it comes to gun shows on the Coast, the one put on by Classic Arms Productions out of Louisiana is, well, a classic.

The show has been in Biloxi for three decades. That’s long enough to be part of the culture and to be part of the family.

Stacey Harter of Perkinston has been around guns her whole life.

“Being raised in the South, especially if you were raised in the country, I mean, guns were a part of life, a way to put food on the table, a way to defend your home if you needed to,” she said.

That means her daughters know something about them as well.

“We grew up teaching them very early how to respect them - what not to do with them, how to take care of them,” Harter said.

Likewise, Dustin Hollier of Lafayette, La. and his daughter Mackenzie are browsing for fun and browsing to learn. And the priority lesson?

“Safety, basically. Don’t play with them. They’re not toys,” he said. “It’s a privilege to have them.”

“I’m not afraid of them because you could use them to protect your house and family,” Mackenzie added.

The Biloxi Gun Show by Classic Arms Productions has been a part of that learning process.

“We’ve been coming here for 30 years and we have some of the same customers that have been coming back whenever they were kids,” said owner Sondra Hewett. “I enjoy it. I enjoy the people. I love the people.”

The event showcases more than just the classics. As far as the newest trend?

“It depends upon the political climate actually,” Hewett said. “So, that drives a lot of trends. Whatever they want to ban, that’s what people want to buy.”

Joey Lenn with Southern Guns says the business is fickle.

“The gun industry is a rocky road. It’s up and down. It’s very political. It goes up,” he said. “One week, you’re a millionaire; the next week, you’re broke.”

Despite that, this weekend 50-plus vendors did their best to accommodate.

“This where we talk to the people, see what they want, see what they’re looking for, see what the hard things to find are,” said Beau Bergeron, owner of Revolution Ammunition. “And we use that information to go out and make our business better.”

Whatever the market is, Lenn said this is the place to be.

“It’s a fun place just to look, you can see more stuff here than you ever would shopping at a big box store,” he said. “I love coming down here. I like doing this show. It’s a way to have fun and make money.”

The Biloxi Gun Show returns Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, check out Class Arms Productions on the web: https://capgunshows.com/biloxi-gun-show-2/

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