Hundreds of people took to the Fairgrounds Saturday to buy, sell, and learn more about guns and other weapons. As our Candace Hopkins found out, Central New York has a long-time connection to gun production, dating back to the late 1800s.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- 1,000 firearms dealers packed the Center of Progress building Saturday, to talk shop with gun lovers from throughout the country.

"80 percent are collectors, and they trade and buy and sell back and forth among themselves and then of course sell to the public, but you have things here from the Revolutionary War, up through Korea and Vietnam", said Doug Roberts, New York State Arms Collector Gun Show Director.

Other displays highlight Central New York's deep ties to firearms production leading back to 1890, when the Hunter Arms Company starting making L.C. Smith guns in Fulton.

"The L.C. I think is a wonderful gun, it's the only one that has the original side locks, they're just adorable guns, they're great guns to shoot, they have good balance", said Frank Finch, L.C. Collectors Association Executive Director.

And because production lasted in Fulton until 1945, many of those guns are still floating around the area, including the gun Gary Smith inherited from his father, who worked at the plant.

"It's very exciting to be handed a piece of history that's a legacy from my dad and from the Hunter Arms Company that built the L.C. Smiths, it's one of the finer example guns", said Smith.

Many visitors here say this is actually a family affair, because they believe it's important to pass the history on to their children.

"It's part of the American Heritage and the Constitution and the Second Amendment, that we should instruct our youth into why we have guns in society and what their purpose was meant to be used for, not violence and committing crime", said Smith.

The event will be open to the public Sunday, from 9:00 a.m until 3:00 p.m.