TAMPA, Fla. — Despite recent calls for gun reform, the Tampa Gun Show went forward with its plans over the weekend at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
After mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde and Tulsa, President Joe Biden is demanding a nationwide ban on assault weapons.
However, gun owners at the event argued bans aren't the solution to these mass shootings.
"It absolutely infringes on our rights but more than that, it isn't any kind of a solution," Robert Geisler, Shoot Straight general manager, said.
Geisler said Florida's gun laws are ahead of the nation.
Biden said if a ban on assault weapons cannot be done, then raising the minimum age from 18 to 21 is needed.
That's already the law in Florida. In Texas, it was legal for the alleged shooter in Uvalde to purchase an assault weapon at the age of 18.
The president is also called on red flag laws nationwide. This legislation already exists in Florida.
Currently, it lets a court remove weapons from people judged to be dangerous to themselves or others.
"A small portion is affecting it for everyone," Geisler said in reference to legal gun owners. "I don't think there's a legislation, especially that Joe Biden's administration is going to do, to stop this."
Gun owners at the fairgrounds said lawmakers should turn to mental health, lack of parental oversight or school security as causes for the mass shootings.
"You got to take care of the mentally ill. I mean, that's a big problem," buyer John Gregory said.
But demonstrations against gun violence continue to grow, including in Tampa Bay, where protesters argue it's a matter of time until the next mass shooting occurs. Groups are wearing orange over the weekend to call an end to gun violence, including in a Tampa rally on Friday.
"This is a public health crisis, something that we cannot afford to not address," said Lisa Geller with Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
But some gun owners said this is about their rights and ability to protect themselves.
No private sales are allowed at the gun show and every sale requires a background check, Geisler said.