Iowa gun sales increase in advance of election

From Iowa, another article on the spike in gun sales:

WATERLOO --- Gun sales have shot through the roof as the presidential election looms.

Fears of tighter control were mutual Saturday among shoppers at the Gun & Knife Show, which ends today at the National Cattle Congress' McElroy Auditorium. It offers a buffet of rare guns and hard-to-find accessories.

According to the Associated Press, Republican candidate John McCain supports background checks for buyers at gun shows and has his name on a law restricting special-interest group advertising, two positions strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association. Democratic challenger Barack Obama has been accused of wanting to put the firearms industry out of business.

But both campaigns' running mates, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, own guns.

It's no surprise, then, why uncertainty has pushed sales up 30 to 40 percent from show to show, said Dennis Pearson, show manager with On Target Promotions, which hosts about 14 shows a year in Iowa and Missouri.

Article here.