TAMPA, Fla. — This weekend, roughly 10,000 people will gather at the state's largest gun show, the Florida Gun Show, held at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Center.
It comes as the Biden administration considers new rules aimed at curbing the so-called "gun show loophole."
Florida Gun Show leaders say they're already ahead of any proposed changes, as they've prohibited private sales by unlicensed sellers at their show for years.
"If you want to exhibit here at our shows, we're going to do it safe and we're going to do it the way we think is correct," said Florida Gun Show GM Robert Geisler. "Each vendor is a federally licensed dealer. Everybody plays by the rules. There's no gun show loophole here.
"We have our own private security here enforcing that."
In other words, people without a federal license cannot sell personal guns directly to buyers at their shows, as is allowed under state and federal law.
"That's something we took years ago, and it's just common-sense stuff that, you know, we wish everyone would practice," Geisler said.
It's a business decision that Geisler said has cost the Florida Gun Show at times.
"Financially, you lose a little bit because there are vendors that, you know, might get upset about that," he said. "But we just want people to do it the right way. And we wanted to do it safely and responsibly."
A personal gun can be sold, but only if it exchanges hands with a licensed dealer.
"Bring your private gun or collection of private guns, but we're going to say you need to sell it to an FFL. We just do it at a small fee. We're talking $25 or $35 for a transfer to do it the right way," Geisler said.
Some vendors argue the rules won't stop criminals from getting guns and can be tedious for responsible gun owners.
Dave Hartman has been selling guns at shows for roughly 16 years and said, "If you eliminated gun shows, it would just simply please take place outside of it in a parking lot."
For the Florida Gun Show, it's a balancing act — protecting the right to bear arms with safe, responsible sales.
The Florida Gun Show will run this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Florida Fair Ground Expo Center. Admission is $13.