Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Organizers hope for robust gun show turnout

CLOVIS — Organizers for the semiannual Clovis Gun Show expect a robust attendance at the event this weekend, including turnout from first-timers specifically interested in self-protection.

The show is the main local fundraising effort for the non-profit Clovis Evening Lions Club, according to its president and the gun show chairman Joe Whitehurst. Attendance at each iteration — held during the second weekends of March and October — has averaged between 1,500 and 1,800 admission-paying attendees, said Whitehurst.

Up to 50 vendors operating about 125 booths will come primarily from eastern and southern New Mexico, Arizona and west Texas. Most of them will sell guns, others knives and coins, and a few will cater to special classes or supplies recently growing in demand.

“We’ll also have some survival gear. Preppers is a big thing nowadays, for people that think the apocalypse is going to come yesterday,” Whitehurst said. “I’ve also had people call wanting to know if there’s going to be people out there that are going to be holding concealed carry classes. And we will have some certified conceal carry instructors out there.”

Recent gun-violence tragedies in Clovis and Las Vegas, Nevada, have been a topic among vendors and organizers for other gun shows, Whitehurst said.

“Bump stocks,” a device under recent scrutiny after being used by the Las Vegas gunman to turn semi-automatic weapons into nearly rapid-fire guns, are still legal and will not be restricted from sale at the Clovis show although some vendors have already elected not to sell them, Whitehurst said.

“I have one vendor who said he would no longer sell them,” Whitehurst said, adding that he didn’t know of any other specific vendors with intentions to have bump stocks available.

“In talking to a lot of my vendors that have been to gun shows in other places, Clovis has been brought up and Las Vegas has been brought up. I think we’ll have quite a bit of participation from people in it for self-protection,” he continued. “I anticipate we will have a large attendance from people who have possibly never been to a gun show before. I really think there will be people standing in line for the concealed carry instructors.”

Proceeds from the gun show support a variety of local community service projects by the Lions, many of which center on health care and education for the young.

“All the money stays in this community. I do not send any of it back east,” Whitehurst said. “We help people out buying glasses and hearing aids, and each year we give every third grader in the area a brand new dictionary that we pay for ourselves.”

Another endeavor supported by local Lions’ funds and federal grants is the Kids Sight program, which provides screenings for correctable eye conditions to children in area schools. Screenings this year already took place in Portales and Texico and will continue at Clovis Municipal Schools this week. Outreach also includes Melrose, Grady, San Jon, Logan, Floyd, Dora and Elida.

“The more we make at this gun show, the more it’s going to help our communities,” said Randy Rhue, a Clovis Lions’ club member since 1982 and Kids Sight Director for three years ongoing. “Everything that we do, we support Lions’ international programs, we support multiple-district programs, but 90 percent of what we spend is right here in our community.”

The gun show runs from 1-7 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Clovis Civic Center. Daily admission is $5, or $4 for active military personnel; a three-day pass is $10.