Opinions on gun law mixed at show

Staff photo: Tony Bullocks

Vendors Jim Beevers, left, and Gale Blackwell, both of Clovis, price their inventory at the Clovis Evening Lions Club Gun, Knife, and Coin Show at the Clovis Civic Center. Today is the last day of the show; hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

House Bill 336, which Gov. Susana Martinez signed into law on Feb. 28, aims to strengthen gun safety by requiring that New Mexico courts report mental health records to the National Criminal Background Check System.

The bill unanimously passed through the House and the Senate, but brought mixed reaction at the Clovis Evening Lions Club’s gun, knife and coin show held this weekend at the Clovis Civic Center.

Joe Whitehurst, gun vendor and president of the Clovis Evening Lions Club, explained his reservations about the bill.

“If a person is certified as mentally ill, I don’t know that they need to own a weapon, but I do think it’s their right to own one — as long as they don’t use it in the wrong way,” Whitehurst said.

“This is all about freedom, and no one should infringe on our rights.”

Albuquerque’s Rick Austin and his wife, Marsha, are firearms vendors and said they fully support the new law.

“We’re trusting the government to come back with an honest, complete, and accurate background check. That’s what government is here for — to protect us.”

But, Rick Austin said, there’s a caveat to that.

“I do not want a vet coming back with PTSD to be afraid to seek treatment because of a threat to their Second Amendment right,” Austin said. “That’s what we’re scared of.”

Greg Weigl, a certified concealed weapons instructor of the National Rifle Association in Clovis, said there needs to be clarity about who generates the mental health records and why.

“I do think we need some secure method of identifying people that have violent tendencies,” he said. “I don’t think our mental health evaluations system is enough to do that.”

First-time visitor to the show Sylvia Shot of Clovis said she agrees with the law.

“I don’t think people need one (a gun) if they’re not mentally capable of carrying one,” Shot said.

Gun enthusiast Darryl Roach and first-time show visitor Irene Harlow of Clovis said they support the law, but they want consistency.

“I like the bill; there’s no doubt about that,” Roach said. “I think it needs to be out of their hands if they’re mentally unstable.”

“It needs to be consistent across the country,” Harlow said.

The opinions on HB 336 may have varied at the show, but the admiration for guns, knives, coins and other crafts seemed unanimous.

Whitehurst described the gun show as “a project,” not a fundraiser.

One weekend show typically draws in a crowd of 1,700 to 1,900 people of all ages, he said. The two shows have an economic impact of about $350,000 to

$400,000 for the region, including vendor sales, hotel stays and meals in local restaurants, he said. Of that amount, $36,000 to $40,000 is given back to the community, Whitehurst said.

Whitehurst said all the money collected on admission and raffles stays in the community. “We give to nearly all the organizations in this area — United Way, Matt 25, etc. — and we work primarily with kids,” he said.

The Clovis Evening Lions Club gives new dictionaries — 900 or so — to third-graders in Clovis, Texico, Melrose, Fort Sumner and Grady every year. The club also works with Sight for Kids, providing eyesight screenings with a high-quality camera for kids up to third-grade level.

The show, held bi-annually in March and October, brought in 120 tables of vendors and has attracted more than 1,200 visitors from New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, organizers said.

If you want to go

Today’s show is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clovis Civic Center, 801 Schepps Blvd.

Admission: $5 for adults, $4 for active-duty military, and free for children under 12 and first responders.