I remember a few years ago our town had two gunshows a year and not only were there no tables with non gun related items, most of the tables were individuals and not licensed gun dealers. Now we have so many shows a year I won't even hazard to guess a number, some of which have had well less than 50% tables that actually had guns and the number of individuals with guns displayed is well below what it used to be. Very few people coming in the door seem to have trade items any more either.

Is this what other parts of the country are seeing as well? I'm assuming this to be true but I quit traveling out of state with my guns in the early 90's so I don't know for sure.

Certainly the actions and attitudes of the Clinton administration hurt gun shows and the increased number of shows have to make it hard to fill all tables with gun or related. I'd be interested in hearing what ya'll are seeing today as opposed to say pre Clinton. As a rule of thumb, who do ya'll see in your area providing the better shows... the "original" local shows? or the professional promoter? What do you think can be done to improve the situation? Anyway, like to hear some of your ideas or comments?
Dennis

 

We still have about 6 shows a year with C&E & Land O Sky being the 2 promoters.

Asheville has allways been the show that dealers come to buy from us.
There is more than gold in them thar hills. Grandaddys old 03 springfield he brought back from the war etc. I don't see many guns for sale in our Iwanna anymore, people are just keeping what they have these days.

Shows today are less crowded than in the Clinton years. Back to the parts and reloading stuff. Not may joe public tables like years ago. Lot's of Chinese Junk & add ons.

The ring as it was called, where guys came inside to buy & sell their own guns, has all but disappered, because of the ATF agents arrests, after watching an illegal sale. Person to person sale without the background check. Chasing them outside & busting them in front of everybody. Has scared everyone away.

I went to a show last year & did not see a single person I knew. That will be my last gun show, to bad for my son, he won't know the American Gun Shows like they used to be.

You may not know this, but we had a big fight here in NC with our state, the State wanted to outlaw gunshows. We won for now.

I hope someone will post from the larger Cities in NC to get their view on what's happening in the very large Cities.

Marturo

 

15-20yrs ago Columbus OH held the O.G.C.A.(ohio gun collectors assoc.)and had the largest amount of tables i've ever known...it advertised as the world's largest...of course "they" couldn't let this continue,so it was run out of town by a timely"new city odinance" concerning firearms.....sadly ohio's shows still continue to drop in number...some are as you say...a flea market ....i find prices comp to the big stores...

 

I'm afraid it's not going to get much better either. I think the atmosphere is right for change, even the democrats in congress are pretending to be pro gun for the election year, but the current administration seems to have all it's energy directed toward Iraq at the moment. Behind the scenes I hope they are at least dismantling some of the anti gunshow attacks of the BATF while attention is so focused elsewhere. Would be a great time to quietly get some things accomplished but who knows.
Dennis
BTW, started building an entertainment center this week... ahhh sure ya don't want to come by this weekend... I grill a mean hamburger

 

I have lived in so. Kalifornia since 1940'S things have definitely changed, this used to be a nice, conservative state, our high school had a shooting range underneath the gym, the school furnished the 22 rifels and we the students furnished the ammo, our parents had to give consent of course but still can you imagine that happening today , ? at least here? we still have gun showes at our county fair grounds, they being the agitators / anti gut nuts tried to stop us an succeded for apx. 60 days before a judge overturned the legal action , Im not sure on what grounds they were trying to stop us but it did not work, as you know there are quite a number of states and more are being added that allow normal citizens, to carry concealed firearms, fat chance of that happening here, gov. Swartzenager [spelling ??] just passed a bill outlawing the sale of .50 cal rifels in the state, even tho not one criminal act with this weapon has ever been recorded. L.A. tried to pass an ordinance that all purchases of ammo were to submit a fingerprint. they even considered a tax on each bullet.

like this state is full of liberals and are Socialists, San Francisco being the worst.

hopefully, Hillary will never become President, but don't bet on it, we , meaning we who cherish our right to keep & bear arms had better stay informed, support the NRA, and vote en mass.

lol steve

 

Come to Texas!

You guys would love it. We have at least 3-4 per month somewhere in the city. We have one HUGE/NICE one every quarter that fills up the Dallas Convention Center (its a huge event). There are lines 1/2 mile long all 3 days it is open. You can bring anything in to sell as long as you check it at the door to make sure you have a gunlock and no ammo. I would be 100k plus people go through the doors that weekend. Yes, this is a "professional" event but you can find any gun known to man. The vast majority of tables are gun dealers but, just like the old days, the best deals are the guys walking around.

The other shows are more "mom and pop" type of events. Yes, the guys with the tables full of confederate flags, biker gear, etc are there but almost every table has guns and/or gun related stuff (mags, holsters, etc).

However, to be honest, i buy probably 90% of my guns off the internet now.

 

SB, don't tempt me, Im getting ready to retire [ some what ] I spent 3 yrs. at fort hood, and most of you Texans are my kind of people ! I still have a lot of relatives in Oklahoma, another good place, tornados and all,

left this state in 1978 to raise the kids [ arizona] returned 1985 to Orange county, only because of a buisness deal.

tooo many socialist, who want to take our freedoms away,

so if not this yr. hopefully next Ill do more than just talk.

stay free & safe steve

 

stevie...orange county...ewww, gives me the creeps. i have a good buddy there and his mortgage is double mine and i have 3X the square footage. crazy expensive out there!! (and yes, the kommunists in kali would drive me nuts too?)