Gun shows have been a waste for me

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needler420

needler420

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Apr 29, 2011
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Went to my 2nd gun show ever yesterday since it was right next to the 2nd flea market I went to in Jacksonville FL. Huge waste of time and money. As I approach the building someone is coming out and says something like "man prices are high today" That should of been the tell tale sign. But instead I approached the entrance and asked if they had any vendors selling knives and just like the last gun show I went to they said yeah. So I paid my $8 dollar admission and quickly went to the bathroom.

They had like 3-5 small isles of rows for vendors. I don't have as much gun knowledge to speak on their behalf but the knives were priced higher then retail. One vendor even had CCC stuff priced higher then online. Basically selling BudK items for higher prices. Same thing happened at the last gun show I went to. Honestly I felt like I paid $8 dollar admission just to use the restroom and browse for 10 minutes. Felt more like the NRA just suckering people into money like the churches do.

I can go to the webster flea market and see more gun and knife vendors selling for free with no admission charges. Considering I got my last knife for $9 dollars that I was happy with I definitively feel like I wasted money on a $8 dollar admission. If the "event" is so pro gun they should let me view their items for free. Even a guy standing outside is pointing at a sign of some guy in politics, I am assuming he is telling you to support or vote for him. It's just money raised for their campaign agendas.

If this keep happening ill never be going to gun shows or give them a chance.
 
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needler420 said:
If the NRA is so pro gun they should let me view their items for free.
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The NRA doesn't sell guns.

They also do not host gun shows.

They pay for a booth, just like every other vendor.
Most vendors at gun shows are small businesses, private collectors, or local gun dealers.

The salad days of cheap guns at gun shows are long gone.

You will always find a better deal online for knives, than any location/B&M that has overhead costs.


Looking for a low priced quality knife at a gun show is kinda like expecting a great steak from KFC.
 
I seriously doubt the NRA had anything to do with this show. Not sure why you paid again to go to a show when the last paid show was a bust? If your on a fixed income I would stick to free shows and yard sale type of events. I don't go to gun shows either because I have never found a good deal. After parking and entry I am in for $20.00 bucks which can be better spent somewhere else. I would like to attend the Antique gun show runs here the same time as the SHOT show.
 
I know it's private vendors and collectors. It's the same thing if it's a vendor at the flea market.
The NRA has a affiliation with these gun shows though. You can see advertisements for them.
In the entrance was a guy with a sign to vote or support for someone. I am pro 2nd amendment as well but they way they run things is just for campaign money.
Vs the vendor at the flea market is there completely privately. Regardless which one your at you are paying for vendor space and some flea markets charge a admission too. The difference is the gun show is politically ran with a agenda to the money they raise.

The guy at the flea market is just selling his guns and knives after paying his booth space.
 
needler420 said:
I know it's private vendors and collectors. It's the same thing if it's a vendor at the flea market.
The NRA has a affiliation with these gun shows though. You can see advertisements for them.
In the entrance was a guy with a sign to vote or support for someone. I am pro 2nd amendment as well but they way they run things is just for campaign money.
Vs the vendor at the flea market is there completely privately. Regardless which one your at you are paying for vendor space and some flea markets charge a admission too. The difference is the gun show is politically ran with a agenda to the money they raise.

The guy at the flea market is just selling his guns and knives after paying his booth space.
Click to expand...

The only "affiliation" the NRA has at gun shows is that they support 2A (kind of, sometimes when it is most convenient). They are just a booth. That's like saying the guy selling beef jerky at the gun show has an affiliation with the shows.

Affiliated
af·fil·i·at·ed
/əˈfilēˌādəd/
adjective
adjective: affiliated
(of a subsidiary group or a person) officially attached or connected to an organization.
 
I don't do gun shows anymore. After the 3rd negligent discharge in 3 shows, I swore them off. Nothing is supposed to come in loaded. Everything is supposed to be checked and ziptied at the door. If one feels the need to bring in their loaded carry piece discreetly, I understand that. However, keep it in you dang pocket/holster. If it's not for sale (and checked in), then it's not for show! Sweeping the room with a loaded gun while you show it off is bad enough. Breaking yet another rule and practicing dangerous trigger discipline could get someone killed.

Anyway, knives at a gun show are generally junk. I would say that the percentage of gun guys who are real knife guys is small. Poking around in the knife selection of several gun forums shows that many of them are of the "good enough" mindset. Not garbage, mind you. But I see them sort of top out at that $50-60 mark.
 
It's not just supporting the 2a they are raising campaign money to support it. So I don't understand how you can say the NRA isn't affiliated. They may not be affiliated with every gun show but they are affiliated with many gun shows. I mean I literally saw NRA signs every where as well as a lot of Nazi and conservative flag memorabilia.
 
needler420 said:
I know it's private vendors and collectors. It's the same thing if it's a vendor at the flea market.
The NRA has a affiliation with these gun shows though. You can see advertisements for them.
In the entrance was a guy with a sign to vote or support for someone. I am pro 2nd amendment as well but they way they run things is just for campaign money.
Vs the vendor at the flea market is there completely privately. Regardless which one your at you are paying for vendor space and some flea markets charge a admission too. The difference is the gun show is politically ran with a agenda to the money they raise.

The guy at the flea market is just selling his guns and knives after paying his booth space.
Click to expand...



The NRA sells memberships.
They pay the gun show to set up booths and ads just like every other vendor there.

That's their only affiliation.
It's not a mystery.

They are also not pro 2A and have worked for various forms of gun control since their inception.

I personally wouldn't give them a cent, as there are better groups that actually support 2A and do not work against our rights.
The NRA just wants money.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I don't do gun shows anymore. After the 3rd negligent discharge in 3 shows, I swore them off. Nothing is supposed to come in loaded. Everything is supposed to be checked and ziptied at the door. If one feels the need to bring in their loaded carry piece discreetly, I understand that. However, keep it in you dang pocket/holster. If it's not for sale (and checked in), then it's not for show! Sweeping the room with a loaded gun while you show it off is bad enough. Breaking yet another rule and practicing dangerous trigger discipline could get someone killed.

Anyway, knives at a gun show are generally junk. I would say that the percentage of gun guys who are real knife guys is small. Poking around in the knife selection of several gun forums shows that many of them are of the "good enough" mindset. Not garbage, mind you. But I see them sort of top out at that $50-60 mark.
Click to expand...

I am always fearful of that at the flea markets. The gun shows I go to have check ins for guns. Doesn't meant a accident can't happen. At the flea market there are no checks and there are a lot of gun vendors and a lot of people checking them out. I am always worried one of these old guys 60-80 years old will forget to check to see if all their guns are loaded. Then they start inspecting the guns and pointing them at people in the isles. Happens to me like every week and I walk really fast to get out the way. I'm like old mad point that thing at the dam air or the ground. Not into the crowed isles. Eventually I suspect the same thing a accidental discharge is going to tag someone sooner or later.
 
needler420 said:
It's not just supporting the 2a they are raising campaign money to support it. So I don't understand how you can say the NRA isn't affiliated. They may not be affiliated with every gun show but they are affiliated with many gun shows. I mean I literally saw NRA signs every where as well as a lot of Nazi and conservative flag memorabilia.
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They raise money to support their paychecks.

They are not affiliated with any gun store or show beyond being a paying vendor.
As far as the memorabilia, military collectors and antique firearms go hand in hand.


I know a guy that collects antique medical quackery devices.
That doesn't mean he's a quack, or that he supports medical fraud.
He's just a collector.

I also know a guy that collects Japanese swords. Doesn't make him a Ninja.
 
All the gun shows I’ve been to had mostly “tacticool” knives and “ninja gear” for kids. A few vendors had the occasional benchmade. It seems to me that gunn shows are for guns and knife shows are for knives.

The Lehigh Valley has a knife show twice a year and Country Knives is close to me for knives.

The bathroom at gun shows usually contains the broken remnants of the zip ties used to secure the guns coming in.
 
As said above, the NRA doesn’t sell guns and they didn’t promote or host that show. You're as wrong in blaming the NRA for your displeasure as you’d be if you blamed the Pope or Weird Al Yankovic. The NRA was just one more paying exhibitor at the show. If you want to blame somebody for your displeasure, then you should blame Mike and Laura Schoenberger because they own and operate Cliffhangers Gun Shows, which sponsored the show. They’re easy to find online, so stop incorrectly bad-mouthing the NRA and direct your displeasure where it should be directed.

Regarding shopping for knives at gun shows -- there’s a reason the phrase “gun show garbage” exists in the knife world and it’s because knives offered for sale at gun shows are almost never worth even looking at. I thought everybody knew that.
 
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This sounds more like an anti-NRA rant and politics mixed with a dash of religion in GKD than anything to do with knives.

needler420 said:
Felt more like the NRA just suckering people into money like the churches do .
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needler420 said:
. I mean I literally saw NRA signs every where as well as a lot of Nazi and conservative flag memorabilia.
Click to expand...

Well, thats one way for a thread to land in the DAT
 
I don't believe the NRA was a paying vendor at the show. None of the vendors seemed to have direct affiliation to the NRA other then supporting them. I believe all the vendors were private collectors just paying booth space.

No specific vendor seemed to be the NRA. There was about 30-40 vendors But I don't believe any of them to be specifically the NRA. Pretty sure you could have asked every vendor there are you the NRA and you'll get a no "I'm Joe Smoe but I support the NRA".

The NRA's presence seemed to come from the staff, and the political campaign aspects, not them selling guns there as a vendor. They are there politically, not set up with a booth table selling guns.

I believe the NRA has a bigger affiliation, like the entire host to the event or they help fund it. This is a franchise gun show that periodically sets up in different cities.
 
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needler420 said:
The NRA's presence seemed to come of the staff, and the political campaign aspects, not them selling guns there as a vendor.

I believe the NRA has a bigger affiliation, like the entire host to the event. This is a franchise gun show that periodically sets up in different cities.
Click to expand...

You would be incorrect.
The NRA paid like everyone else.
They are simply a vendor.
Nothing more.
They do not sell guns. At all.

They usually have a small table selling memberships.
If they didn't have a booth, it could be due to the mass Exodus of members after their recent support of red flag laws, and bump stock bans.
 
needler420 said:
I don't believe the NRA was a paying vendor at the show. None of the vendors seemed to have direct affiliation to the NRA other then supporting them. I believe all the vendors were private collectors just paying booth space.

No specific vendor seemed to be the NRA. There was about 30-40 vendors But I don't believe any of them to be specifically the NRA. Pretty sure you could have asked every vendor there are you the NRA and you'll get a no "I'm Joe Smoe but I support the NRA".

The NRA's presence seemed to come from the staff, and the political campaign aspects, not them selling guns there as a vendor. They are there politically, not set up with a booth table selling guns.

I believe the NRA has a bigger affiliation, like the entire host to the event or they help fund it. This is a franchise gun show that periodically sets up in different cities.
Click to expand...

In General KNIFE Discussion, really?
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I don't do gun shows anymore. After the 3rd negligent discharge in 3 shows, I swore them off. Nothing is supposed to come in loaded. Everything is supposed to be checked and ziptied at the door. If one feels the need to bring in their loaded carry piece discreetly, I understand that. However, keep it in you dang pocket/holster. If it's not for sale (and checked in), then it's not for show! Sweeping the room with a loaded gun while you show it off is bad enough. Breaking yet another rule and practicing dangerous trigger discipline could get someone killed.

Anyway, knives at a gun show are generally junk. I would say that the percentage of gun guys who are real knife guys is small. Poking around in the knife selection of several gun forums shows that many of them are of the "good enough" mindset. Not garbage, mind you. But I see them sort of top out at that $50-60 mark.
Click to expand...

Holy smokes! Three accidental discharges in three shows!? I’d swear off gun shows if that happened to me too, haha. Every one I’ve been to has been free of nonsense like that.

I like going to them just to browse through the wares. I haven’t bought anything expensive from one in a while, though. Last gun I bought was an SKS that wasn’t exactly cheap, but it wasn’t what they’re at nowadays either. They’ve always been overpriced, at least in my experience. Most of the knives are overpriced junk, and the guns are priced over what you’d find in most shops in the same area.
 
McFeeli said:
Holy smokes! Three accidental discharges in three shows!? I’d swear off gun shows if that happened to me too, haha. Every one I’ve been to has been free of nonsense like that.

I like going to them just to browse through the wares. I haven’t bought anything expensive from one in a while, though. Last gun I bought was an SKS that wasn’t exactly cheap, but it wasn’t what they’re at nowadays either. They’ve always been overpriced, at least in my experience. Most of the knives are overpriced junk, and the guns are priced over what you’d find in most shops in the same area.
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No such thing as accidental discharge.
You mean NEGLIGENT discharge.
Guns don't fire themselves.

I'd eject too if that happened.
Lol
 
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