No protests at Potlatch gun show at elementary school

The Potlatch Gun Show came and went Sunday without any issue, despite persistent rumors of protests in the days leading up to the event.

While the show has been held at the Potlatch Elementary School gymnasium for nearly three decades without incident, this year the event got some unwanted attention when a meme about it went viral following the school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

The meme features a flyer for the 29th annual gun show, with some commentary from a Twitter poster included:

"Half the US: let's ban guns cause of school shootings.

Idaho: let's have a gun show, IN the school."

Latah County Sheriff Richie Skiles, who was at the show, said the four deputies scheduled to be on shift Sunday morning were asked to spend part of their day making a presence in Potlatch and periodically driving past the school to see if protesters had assembled. They never did.

"I'd rather be prepared and have nothing happen than have something happen and not be prepared," Skiles said.

Skiles said if Potlatch had a grange hall or another venue large enough to facilitate the hundreds who attend the gun show every year, it would not have been held in the elementary school gymnasium, however, it is one of the only spaces in the town that can accommodate that many people.

Plus, he added, "a gun show in Potlatch is different than a gun show in, say, San Diego, where not many people may have hunted - these people have all hunted."

Skiles said school shootings were unheard of when the gun show was first organized years ago by the late John Milbert.

"It's sad," he said. "I've been wracking my brain for the last month trying to come up with ways to make my schools feel safe."

Wanda Milbert has used the gun show to carry on her husband's legacy. Two photos of John Milbert, who died two years ago, were displayed in the entryway next the Veterans of Foreign Wars table.

The couple's daughter, Chris Milbert, said her father's love of guns stemmed from his time in the Navy. She said her mother raised five children while John Milbert was deployed, and when he returned, they both became involved with the VFW and started organizing the annual gun show.

Wanda said her favorite part remains getting to see and talk to people she only gets to see once a year and The Potlatch Knights Of Columbus annual breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage.

Plenty of people came out for the gun show, even with - or in spite of - the threat of protests.

Skiles said for the first two hours of the show he was so busy catching up with old friends he hadn't had a chance to look at what the vendors were selling or trading. In addition to chatting with friends, Skiles also was there to offer his help to those who might not know so much about guns.

"Being in law enforcement, I get a lot of people who want to learn about guns," Skiles said.

Potlatch resident Jesse Glaze said he has been attending the gun show since he was in high school, and he rarely left without buying something from John Milbert.

Ralph Parsons, of St. Maries, said he has only missed one Potlatch Gun Show. For him, he said, the best part is finding the unique and hard-to-find guns that can't be found in regular stores.

"It's like a treasure hunt," he said.

Parsons said he wasn't looking for anything in particular this year, but when he saw his treasure he would know it.

"When you see it, it just pops, and you think, 'I don't have one of those,' " he said.

Katie Short can be reached at (208) 883-4633, or by email to kshort@dnews.com.