Crowds good at gun show in Parishville

PARISHVILLE — As Steven P. Follett affectionately talked about the antique firearms, toy cap guns and knives displayed at his table at the Parishville Sportsmen's Club spring gun show Sunday, sadness crept into his voice.

"For collectors like me and a lot of other guys, it's the end of an era," he said. "The majority of young people I come across aren't interested in this kind of thing. If it doesn't have a button they can push or they can't hook it up to the Internet, they're just not interested. When I was a kid, we played cowboys and Indians. Kids now just watch TV."

Mr. Follett, an Alcoa retiree and town of Louisville resident, said he doesn't sell collectible firearms for a living. He sells only at the three or four gun shows he attends every year.

He said he inherited many of his rare guns and knives from a friend. Most of his collection is rare pocket knives, but he said the pride and joy of his inventory is an 1800s L.L. Hepburn, a .45-caliber muzzleloader rifle manufactured in Colton.

"There was an elderly gentleman from Texas here today who recognized it. He's the only one I've ever met who could tell me what it was," Mr. Follett said.

Midmorning snow didn't dampen attendance at the show, one of two the Parishville Sportsmen's Club sponsors annually. Young and old filed into the Firemen's Field Bingo Hall looking for deals on antique and modern firearms and outdoor survival gear.

"This is one of our major fundraisers," said Robert J. Phillips, the club's president. "We raise money every year so we can send a kid to Camp Colby. We give out a few scholarships, too."

Mr. Phillips said this is the spring show's 29th year. A tough economy has translated to slow sales for gun dealers at the club's spring and fall shows, although Mr. Phillips said attendance has not dropped.

But Brian A. Champagne, owner of Champagne's Gun Shop, Moira, said sales during the weekend show cast doubt on any evidence of hard financial times.

"I've done really well in the last two years," Mr. Champagne said. "I've sold guns for home protection to a lot of people who never owned one before. I still get a lot of sportsmen, too, but there seem to be a lot more first-time gun buyers out there."