Gun and Knife show gripe

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I went to the Indy 1500 show this weekend and it was a BIG show, compared to what I am used to seeing anyway. It was great seeing thatmguy there and I didn't even mind paying the 10$ to see such a big show myself but I took my three kids with me and they charged me 10$ apiece for my kids to get into the show. Now I hear all the time at all the shows and on the forums about how we are not doing enough to get our wives and kids involved in the outdoor sports and how we are going to lose our rights because of this but then every show i go to they discourage me from bringing my wife and kids by charging me to bring them with me. My wife and kids are not interested enough in knives and guns yet to justify me spending money that i might be able to spend at the tables on their admission. Are you promoters not making enough on the prices you charge for the tables? I think at Indy they were getting 90 DOLLARS a table! Isn't the 10$ charged for the admission of the 21 year old adults that are capable and desiring to buy a gun or knife enough? A lot of people have less and less spare money to spend on things even as important as knives and guns. Even the smaller shows which also have lower overhead should not be charging anybody under the age of 18 or women to get in if they really want to promote the lawful use of guns and knives to new people. And they also should quit putting the tables so close together that you can't walk down the aisle without bumping into everyone. Its no wonder you don't see many women or kids at the shows. What do you guys think?
 
I think it's not got much to do with W&SS, more of a whine/rant, petition a mod to move this thread?
 
Technically you are right skimo but I don't visit the wine and cheese forum when i come here or many of the others besides this one for that matter and you could bring up the same argument for a lot of the other threads here. Why not let the moderators do their job as they see fit? What is your beef here?
 
Gun shows are highway robbery, 99.99% of the time. That's all there is to it-gun sellers mark up their prices because they know people come expecting to go home with a 10 dollar Plano case marked up to 50 bucks with something special in it. It's always the guy with three old guns in the back corner who needs a cane to walk and doesn't have the strength in his arms to pick up his damn guns anymore that has all the deals. Fortunately they are the kinds of tables people walk right by and you can pick things up like Remington 700 Sendaros for 500 bucks (chaching!) and he knows it's going to a good home. I picked up half my guns at gun shows, and usually it took about 7 hours of cruising tables to find that one deal in the bunch that is what I'm looking for. And that getting your wives and children into shooting stuff? That's a ploy too, so you go out and buy the marlin papoose or the cricket 22 and the Karsten cheekrest for it so your 6 year old girl can see through the iron sights, or that special edition turkey gun with the shorter length of pull specifically designed for women. You SHOULD get your wives and children into shooting, but gun shows aren't the place to do it-the range is.
 
Only under duress do I subject myself to Gun Shows. Why would I subject my wife and kids?
 
I guess I'm lucky a local show which is kinda small, has never charged my wife to go in with me. Seems like she went with me to another show and they charged her 1/2 price I think.

I haven't found too many deals at gun shows, seems they are higher than going to the local shop. It is fun to go and see what all you can find, I look at it as entertainment.
 
....Ha...I can't help imagine a cartoon....three kids and a wife looking at the ole man...and one says...." what?? you drug us here against our will...we could give a squate about these damn knives....so pay up and quit your bitchin"
 
If they have no interest why bring them? That show is huge and fairly crowded though. My complaint is paying for parking then having to walk .5mi to the door.
 
My gunshow gripes: 1. High prices. 2. Ladies pushing strollers full of rug rats in the crowded aisles. 3. Thoughtless people piling up three deep in front of some display and blocking said aisles. Ah well, just smile and take your time.

I occasionaly find hard to locate slings, holsters, and such accessories at gunshows and once in a while great prices for gunpowder especially in quantity. The haggling is fun too.
 
My gun show experiences are in two camps.

As a "patron"- a paying customer, I get to a couple every...couple of years. They tend to be decent places to stock up on ammo and hunt around for hard to find items like savage 1917 firing pins and such. And sometimes you find a good deal on a weapon.

As an exhibitor, I do the Reno Gun Show 3 times a year, and it's a blast. I don't even know if they do charge for children. I should ask. I agree that below a certain age shouldn't have to pay admission. If I was structuring it I'd probably set the limit at 12. (Honestly, if I'm taking a 14 year old boy with me to a gun show we're probably looking at least as much for him as for me)
 
Most of the shows do let 12 and under in for free, but you can't buy a longgun till you're 18, and a handgun till you're 21, so why would they charge people that can't even buy what they sell, especially if they want to get those people to come in and be interested in it? My wife and kids still like doing things with me even if it doesn't have anything to do with their favorite sport. And they are mildly interested in guns and knives so I try to teach them all I can to keep them interested and get them more interested.
 
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