Gun show in Norwalk draws big crowd

Gun enthusiasts say education is the key
Scott Seitz2
Jan 28, 2013

Local gun enthusiasts converged on the Huron County Fairgrounds this past weekend.

Norwalk resident Rick Austin, who had a table at this weekend's show and also teaches a concealed-carry course about three times per month, said it was great to see so many families attend the gun show.

"Times have really changed," Austin said. "Kids are here with their parents. Husbands are here with their wives. This has really brought a lot of people together. It's a family-oriented event."

Guns are often shown in the national spotlight in a negative fashion, something Austin said a little education can help prevent. "I think now, people are getting more informed," he said.

More of this story can be read in Monday's issue of the Norwalk Reflector. Or you can subscribe to the e-paper for less than $1 per week and read it now.



There is responsibility if you own a gun, a car, a knife, a baseball bat, matches, fire place, I could go on. Keep guns away from carzy family members, children, and thiefs. I have one under my pillow, on occasion.


Good one!


Maybe we are focusing on the wrong thing ...

Ft. Hood ~~~ Registered Democrat ~ Muslim

Columbine ~~~ Too young to vote, but both families were registered
Democrats and progressive liberals.

Virginia Tech ~~~ Wrote hate mail to President Bush and to his staff;
was a Registered Democrat.

campaign; Occupy Wall Street participant; progressive liberal.

Connecticut School Shooter ~~~ Registered Democrat; hated Christians.

The common thread is that all of these shooters were progressive,
liberal Democrats.

Maybe we should ban Dems instead of guns!


You get all those facts from the internet ? Because , they aren't allowed to post anything that's not true , right . Probably found those tidbits on the NRA website .

Cliff Cannon

@ Warped : Got a chuckle ( a sad one,I should add )at your common links to these mass murderers. I've got another link for the surviving (Ft.Hood & theater) murderers: They weren't publically executed a day or 2 after their heinous crimes.

After all, they want attention. Let's give them their " moment in the sun". However,make it only a 'moment'

Swift, harsh punishment for any crime in my opinion. Best prevents 'copy cats' as well as repeat oFFenders.

Thanks again for the very informative comment


Goes to show you that liberism is indeed a mental disorder.


another missed common factor-


@prop....I agree. The only think Gun Free Zones do is keep the good people who abide the law from carrying. Some people are so dumb. They honestly think criminals follow the rules.


Common thread, NUTS and politically active democrats.


I suppose you think we caused the black out at the Super Bowl and the shooting in Conn., the 9/11 twin tower explosion, and everything except the Iraq war, which did nothing except kill or maim a lot of our brothers, children, fathers, sisters, mothers, etc.! We know who started THAT one!



Why does the Govt. want to take semi-auto AR-15s out of the hand of law abiding citizens, while Homeland Security is purchasing 7K fully-auto AR-15s?

Always enjoyed the "Nazi-like" name "Homeland Security."

Kinda reminds me of the Nazis' "Fatherland," or the Soviet's "Motherland." Guess "home" just sounds more warm and cozy?


There is no such thing as a fully automatic AR-15. If it "looks" like an AR-15 and "is" fully automatic it is then considered to be an M-16.


@ luvblues2:

Tomato/Tomatoe. How does that answer the question?


Bluto ! They are ALL secured as well as the ammo ! If you can carry my safes out, then you can have them.. Inherited the collection and not planning on selling any of them, you or anyone else are more than WELCOME to try to steal them. My front door is locked! For your protection, not mine, come on in and get em !!!


No thanks , I'm armed well enough . Your comment was just worded strangely . Don't get your panties in a bunch . And , don't worry . No one will take your guns . Not the government anyway . All the controversy is just so the industry backed , NRA and gun advocates can get you out to buy more of their stuff . Manipulating the sheeple through fear . Just remember that when it comes to politics , you are being played by both sides of the fence .



In this he is telling us that the guns are better in the hands of the people then in that of congress.

The 2nd amendment has NOTHING to do with hunting or for self defense from criminals. It is about protecting our rights from the government.
Some that say the 2nd amendment should have limits since the 1st does, such as you can't shout fire in a crowded theater. That is not a limit, anyone can shout it but the 1st amendment doesn't protect you from the consequences of that misuse. The same applies to the 2nd in that there is no limits but also that the 2nd amendment doesn't protect you for misuse (murder).


prop. just listen to the left. the government knows whats best for you, no need to think anymore, just go to work and get raped in taxes.


Go to work and be GLAD that you live in this country and are able to work and have a government that takes care of us when we need it in a disaster, medical emergency, terrorist threats, and so on! I, personally, wish some people WOULDN'T think! I know we are a young country, but we need to grow up or we WILL get left behind, guaranteed! Quit bickering with each other and look at what we have. Believe me, I've travelled outside of this country and we are TRULY blessed! I will take our government any day. I truly don't understand why ANYONE would be against background checks! This shouldn't be political!


Estrella Thanks for the Laugh!!


"The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them." "Who wants a nation of law abiding citizens?"

- "Atlas Shrugged"


Worded strangely ? just stating my opinion Sir, my panties aren't in a bunch, just didn't like the part when you accused me of mis-storing my guns. I'm a responsible owner of guns, i have no plans of selling or buying anything more, got eneough as it is. I'm not ragging on ya Buddy, just getting tired of hearing about gun control issues when we have much bigger issues in the US right now. I will say this though Bluto, if the guy in Conn shooting wouldn't have had easy access to those weapons, when people knew he had mental issues, then we wouldn't even be on here talking today. I raised two children in my house, along with 20 of their friends all the time, and at no time,did any of those kids have a chance at getting any of my guns. Oh yeah, by the way, my TRAP shooting gun was NOT made to kill people, it was specifically designed to shoot Skeets, a Skeet is not a living thing and i'm sure it was designed just for that..


CT? IMO, little different than keepin' a can of gasoline in the house with a book of matches nearby.

In the event of a tragedy, on whom or on what should the blame be placed?

Besides, to my understanding, CT had an "assault weapons" ban in effect.


I applaud you being a responsible gun owner ,but the reality of it is that not everyone is as responsible for their weapons . If that were the case then we wouldn't be having this conversation now . I also understand your frustration with this whole gun issue . I too believe the efforts should focus mostly on peoples' mental status , and backgrounds , but this has to start somewhere . Oh , and I believe a skeet gun could cause some damage to flesh if mishandled . ; )


The idiot central planners answer to every societal issue: Form a committee and make new cumbersome and onerous bureaucratic laws.

This is all feel-good nonsense playing for the dumbed-downed masses.

H*ll, the authorities can't even enforce the thousands of pages of rules and regs they’ve got now and the answer is to create more?

This country has more people imprisoned than any country in the world.

Let’s hire hundreds, maybe thousands more highly compensated paper pushers in order to watch thousands of our already highly compensated paper pushers – pure genius!

Cliff Cannon

@ Contango : Last week,in the 'gun control' article. I made the same point as you in a diFFerent fashion. My comment in brief was to remind that as society's spin out of control. More and more laws keep being added to " enforce " the existing laws,that aren't being enforced. I then mentioned 2 examples where that didn't work : Rome and Pre-Revolution France

To regain control of the society. 2 thing's in my mind are needed: Reduce drastically, the number of laws. ( I suggested the 10 commandments and a few traFFic laws) Then the criminals ---must be punished---- swiftly,as well as harshly,when needed.

Obviously, ( or so it seems) we are headed towards the "next step " in the steps of democracy ---the all powerful dicator. Who can, much to the delight of the people regain control of the society and at first shall be hailed as a 'savior'. Then....

It would be nice,we're I able to claim this idea for my own. However,if one chooses to look up Plato's " Republic " which of course,just might be " the " book in the history of the western world. You would find,the origination of this idea.

So if Plato some 24 century's ago could forsee the dicator as the end result of democratic society's spinning out of control. Why can't we ?

P.S. I wonder when a 'law' will come along to say. " You can't say that ?"


@ CC:

Once read an article in one of my martial arts mags., in which the author stated that after goin' through security at an airport, that a properly trained individual could find all sorts of items (plastic knives, magazines, pencils, etc.) in shops and restaurants that could be used with deadly force.

His point: TSA has given us a false and expensive sense of security.

Yep! Plato's "philosopher kings."


The only reason for the focus on gun control by Obama is to divert peoples attention from the fact that he is spending us into the toilet. When people finally wake up from the gun control stupor we will have hit the $20T mark. This whole country has ADHD.


I agree Knuckle, funny how they went after the "Assault Rifle" after the Conn shooting, and he didn't even use one then, it was still in the car! Wait until Obamacare kicks in, that will really help the Nations deficit. it really seems like people are ignoring the facts of this mans spending.It's scary to think what this guy can do in 4 more years..


social events use to be family gatherings where the men were all armed, shooting at tin cans, and going hunting, bringing home rabbits, deer or other meat for the table. It was that way in rural Norwalk in 1960 and before. Young men took their guns to school, left them in their car so they could go hunting right after school. It never entered their mind to take the gun into the school for protection or to shoot up people. The mentally ill and criminals are treated different now, than they were in 1960 and before. It is the mentally ill, or the known criminal that points a gun at a person that is not theatening them.

Jonathan Christman

I used to have my guns in the trunk of my car both at Norwalk High School and Ehove all the time so we could go squirrel or fox hunting after school. Teachers and school officials knew about it, I once even showed off my new shotgun to one of the teachers out at Ehove.