Las Vegas gun show expects big crowds

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LAS VEGAS, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Organizers of a Las Vegas gun show say they expect bigger crowds, prompted by first-time gun buyers and a perceived looming federal crackdown on gun sales.

The 10th annual gun show at the Cashman Center Saturday and Sunday typically draws 6,000 to 7,000 customers, but based on presale ticket orders attendance could be as high as 12,000, Bob Templeton, president of organizers Crossroads of the West Gun Shows, said.

"This is the largest gun show we've ever had, or anyone has had, in Las Vegas," said Templeton.

The show comes two weeks after the deaths of 28 people in a gun-related school massacre in Newtown, Conn., which triggered a renewed demand for stricter gun laws and a spike in gun sales, the Las Vegas Sun reported Friday.

"These kind of things, unfortunately, tend to energize people in regard to their gun rights and their personal safety," Templeton said.

The show expects 1,000 vendors, several hundred more than in previous years, although some have withdrawn from the show because of lack of inventory, the newspaper said.