Gun sales are still booming in Pa.

HARRISBURG - The economy may be hurting businesses most everywhere, but vendors at a weekend weapons show in the state capital said their business was booming, despite - or maybe because of - the poor economy, as well as the political shift in Washington.

"The whole gun industry is doing well right now," said Nick Jubinski, manager of the Eastern National Gun, Knife and Military Collectibles Show, held over the weekend at the state Farm Show Complex. "If you call a distributor, everything is selling."

Jubinski said 6,000 to 8,000 people were expected at the show, which features more than 200 vendors.

A spike in gun sales was reported after the Democratic election victory in November, and vendors say business has continued to boom.

"There's still an increased concern over the availability or taxation on guns and ammunition," said Mark Pochron, manager of Western Pennsylvania's Dry Tavern Service. Gun sales normally drop around the holidays and do not increase until after tax season, but "now it's steady," he said.

The FBI performed 1.21 million background checks for firearm purchases across the nation in February 2009, an increase from 1.02 million checks in February 2008, according to the Criminal Justice Information Services Division.

"The demand just exceeds the supply," Pochron said. "My distributor offers a selection of guns, and I just take what I can get my hands on."