Attendees at an R.K Shows Inc. gun and knife show are met at the door with a bit of unintended irony: The shows are, essentially, gun-free zones.

The policy prohibits loaded guns, loaded magazines and loose ammo, requires that showgoers check guns at the door. And that occasionally raises eyebrows with the typically armed crowd. But Rex Kehrli, owner of R.K. Shows, which put on a recent gun show in Franklin, told The City Paper there’s a good reason for the rule.

“I’m a big believer in concealed carry. But there’s one area that I’m not a big believer in concealed carry and that is at a gun show. We get people coming in there that want to check out a holster for their handgun, that want to maybe show their handgun to a friend, or maybe even trade their handgun. And we simply can’t take the chance on public safety that everybody is going to handle that firearm correctly.”