If a customer's record is clean, he can take a gun home that day. There are virtually no rules, however, for an unlicensed dealer selling at a gun show or privately to a friend. El Paso has about six gun shows a year, and Starkey said most customers are regulars, looking for a bargain or something unusual. Big retailers Firearms can be purchased in some of El Paso's big chain discount stores. The seven area Kmart stores sell rifles and shotguns, but no handguns.
Managers say gun sales are a very small part of their overall business.
And company rules are tight. Now the register is programmed to close down and stop the sale if we did not ask for ID, or follow the rules. Other like Big 5 Sports, Wal-Mart and the Sports Authority all sell firearms, designed to appeal to the hunters and collectors. Sales are slow now, but are expected to pick up as hunting season gets closer. Copyright '98-'99, El Paso Inc., All rights reserved Designed by Sigma 4, Inc.