The organizers of the Florida Gun Show, held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa this weekend, told reporters that a record number of people attended the event this year. The event's manager, George Fernandez, says they've never seen numbers like this before — and the renewed gun control push from the Left played a significant role in boosting attendance.

"Some of the people attending are afraid that future legislation will impact their gun ownership rights," Fernandez told WTSP.

Among the many voices on the Left calling for more stringent gun control laws is Democratic Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who is pushing for the closing of the oft-cited "gun show loophole," which supposedly allows individuals to purchase guns without undergoing a background check at gun shows, a misleading claim that has been repeatedly debunked.

Fernandez pushed back against the "gun show loophole" claim, telling WTSP that around 95% of the vendors at the show were licensed dealers, thus required by law to run background checks. Around 5%, he estimated, were private citizens, whose sale of guns follows the same federal regulations as any other private citizen's sales of their firearms.

WTSP notes that "several Florida counties, including Pinellas and Hillsborough, have passed ordinances that would require private citizens to run background checks as well." ...