Demand for semi-automatic weapons at Phila gun show

Gun enthusiasts flooded Philadelphia's National Guard Armory for the city's first gun show of the year, with vendors saying they'd seen high demand for semi-automatic weapons included in proposed Congressional gun legislation.

Organizers said they saw a dramatic increase in attendees at Saturday's gun show. Vendors said they were having a banner day, with many customers requesting semi-automatic weapons, including the AR-15 rifle, the gun used in the school shootings in Newtown, Conn. in December.

Attendees said they were concerned that proposed gun legislation would limit their ability to buy guns. Others said they felt stricter gun control laws won't find a footing in Congress.

The show continues Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Philadelphia National Guard Armory on Southampton Road in the Northeast. The show is hosted by Appalachian Promotions.

A similar show was cancelled this week in Harrisburg after protests erupted to plans by the promoter to ban the sale of assault-weapons at the event.

In a statement released Thursday, Reed Exhibitions said it had halted plans for the Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show, scheduled for Feb. 2 to 10, because of controversy surrounding its decision not to let vendors sell a class of weapons the company called modern sporting rifles (MSRs). That decision was driven by concerns about the post-Newtown atmosphere.

The sales ban was fiercely criticized by the National Rifle Association. The event was cancelled after a threatened boycott by gun enthusiasts and a withdrawal by some sponsors.

Contact Aubrey Whelan at 610-313-8112 or awhelan@philly.com and on Twitter at @aubreyjwhelan