DOVER-FOXCROFT – Her ear protectors still snug on her head and with the aroma of ignited gunpowder swirling around her, 38-year-old Cathy Cody of Dover-Foxcroft was all smiles Sunday morning as she dismounted from a quad 50 machine gun.

“That was fantastic,” the petite registered nurse shouted over the din of dozens of staccato gunfire bursts.

With four 50 mm machine guns mounted around her while she sat inside the gun and shot at junk cars, Cody said “Your whole body vibrates.”

Indeed the entire earth around the gravel pit off Route 7 was vibrating as more than a million rounds of ammunition were fed into machine guns and artillery over the three-day Hiram Maxim Machine Gun Shoot and Expo. The event is the largest of its kind on the East Coast, said president Barry Sturk of Oakland, and possibly in the country. International film crews from Germany and France were on hand to record the activities. Nearly 10,000 people attended, officials estimated.

The firepower exhibited and on sale ranged from vintage rifle stocks to highly sought-after, collectible machine guns. This was no Wild West, shoot-’em-up event. Vendors were being restricted and monitored by federal firearms officials. Shooting was allowed in one area only, a roped-off, closely supervised area at the far end of the Expo.

At the firing range, more than a dozen staff members walked back and forth behind the row of machine guns and other weapons. When the smoke became too thick, shooting was stopped until the air cleared. Children were not allowed to be more than three feet from their parents, and all visitors were searched at the gate for weapons and alcohol.

Visitors were diverse. The Vietnam Veterans of America brought an exhibit, and the local Boy Scouts attended as well. An entire fire department brigade – on motorcycles – made the ride to Maine from New York City. The Army National Guard brought new recruits to do a little shooting, and families were visible everywhere.

Although the population consisted of mostly men, women and children were avid participants.

“It really is a family event,” said Sturk. Referring to objections voiced last week by the Southern Maine Chapter of the Million Mom March, Sturk added, “It may mortify some families, but that’s what makes America great.”

In the six years of the shootout, Sturk said, there has never been a single accident or any problem with visitors. “This weekend has been no different. It has been spectacular.”

Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Dennis Dyer spent the entire weekend at the Expo. “I certainly am concerned with gun safety,” the chief said. “But gun collecting and shooting is much like any other hobby. Take a look at the NASCAR circuit. How many people a year have been killed? In Maine alone, we lost six juveniles in the month of June due to alcohol and speed. Are we banning cars? Are we protesting against the automobile?”

Dyer said events such as the Hiram Maxim shoot enable gun enthusiasts to practice safe, responsible shooting. Pointing to the three dozen vendors’ tents, Dyer said, “Nobody here can just buy a gun,” he said, without a special Federal Firearms License. “This is a group of collectors. It is the same as stamp collecting or coin collecting. Only noisier.”

Sturk said, “These firearms on display or being fired this weekend are not used in crimes. These guns are not on the streets. This is why we hold this event. Where, other than here, can collectors shoot these guns?”

Sturk, who started collecting guns as a child, said that the shoot honors Hiram Maxim, who invented the machine gun in 1883. “His intention was to make something so devastating that no one would be willing to go up against it, that the machine gun would compel people not to war against each other,” said Sturk.

“Are these guns for killing? No. The gas chamber and the electric chair are for killing,” he added.

Sturk and Dyer offered booth space to the Million Mom March organization at next year’s Expo. “We have never had protests before. They never contacted us about this event and they didn’t come up to see what it was all about,” said Sturk.

Cody said she had enjoyed the weekend activities with her family. “This is an opportunity that we don’t normally get, even though we grew up in a hunting family,” she shouted over the gunfire. “For me, it is purely educational. I suggest that anyone that has never tried this give it a go, and then they can make a judgment.”

Cody’s two children attended the Expo on Saturday, she said, but it was so that she could use the event as a learning experience and stress gun safety. “And then there is the historical value. These men know their guns,” she added.

“We can’t stick our heads in the sand about guns,” said Cody. “Education is the key.”