[Slater]

Most of the gun shows that I've attended are enjoyable affairs, and most folks seem to be polite and civil. On a couple occasions I've seen a couple shouting matches over one thing or another. Anyone else witness any humorous/ill-tempered face-offs at gun shows?

[HankB]

I've never seen a real shouting match, much less a confrontation that threatened to go physical, but "cross words" have been exchanged . . . on a couple of occasions, I was one of the particpants. (Like the time a guy was trying to sell me a fake "collector's item" he'd manufactured, and I called him on it. Or the time a guy had so many rifles sticking out over the end of his table, he was blocking half of an already narrow aisle . . . he got really mad when I accidentally bumped into them.)

These incidents seem to happen about once every 7-8 years or so. Generally, gun shows are friendly, congenial affairs, and most people just don't go there to fight. Maybe an armed society really is a polite society.

[Ringer]

Actually, yes a couple months ago. Kind of a long story but I'll try to shorten it.

As I am browsing some handguns I hear loud voices from the tables behind me. This woman is royally bitching out this dealer saying that he ruined her purchase permit. In Michigan you have to get a "permit to purchase" a handgun that is good for 10 days. Evidently "she" had picked out a gun and they had started a transaction. While writing up the deal the dealer discovered something that he did not feel was right about her drivers license and told her he could not sell her the gun. Thing was he had already begun filling out her "permit". She was livid because that meant she couldn't use the permit to purchase any gun during this show. They went back and forth for a while. They were both getting pretty loud and she was getting pretty threatening. She was going to call the Sheriff. He thought that was a good idea and suggested she go ahead do that. They went at it for a while and finally she (and her friends) moved on.

Not sure what was wrong with her ID but I think it was clear she was buying the gun for someone else. She was shopping with two men, well the two men were doing the shopping and she evidently was their just for the purchase. If it was truly just an ID problem then the dealer should have been more aware and not written on her permit before having everything else in order. I think it was more a case of him preventing an illegal purchase/transfer of a hangun. Gunshow loophole? Not this time!

[Matt G]

I've seen a few cross words in my times at gun shows, but NEVER have I seen yelling, more less any kind of physical confrontation.

Pretty amazing, when you consider the dozens of gunshows I've been to, most with literally thousands of buyers, sellers, and traders on scene (I usually go to the Dallas Gun Show or the Fort Worth Gun Show), all haggling and trying to horse trade. As a rule, people at gun shows are much more polite than at your standard flea market, in my personal experience.

You're going to find some differences of opinion, whenever you try to place a value on something as personal as a weapon, and then haggle over the price for sale. That's expected. :)

[4v50 Gary]

Happily no confrontations seen or heard.

[mainmech48]

The only "confrontations" that I've ever seen at gun shows involved either LEOs and/or security personnel and thieves. On both occasions I just happened to be leaving the building at right time to witness perps being caught trying to exit with merchandise reported as missing from a vendor on their persons.

While I have witnessed arguments about various details of condition, price, authenticity, etc., I've never seen one degenerate to the level of voices raised in anger or physical contact.

[vi9er]

I was working the VCDL table at a gunshow, and heard this guy YELLING "YOU CAN'T DO THAT! THAT IS ILLEGAL!" over and over. Later, he came to the table and stated that he was boycotting said business because they required his social, and he was telling every person in the show, and every vendor"

About an hour later the owner/organizer came to the table and told us that he(the yeller) was no longer allowed at any Old Dominion Gun Shows. We said, 'OOOkaay, but why are you telling us???"

Turns out this goober was telling everyone that he was an "Important Person" in the VCDL, and he knew Phillip van Cleave, and he was going to have that business shut down. We told the organiser we had never seen him before, and he wasn't any special that we knew of.

It sure was funny.

Ed

[rick newland]

vi9er with thirty years of le/security I dont know how many times I have heard "do you know who I'am?" My favorite reply was always "I don't care but I'am sure you are going to tell me." :)

Back on subject I have worked a few gun shows and never had any problems with folks. True gun people are usually polite.

[MAKOwner]

Never seen any incidents, and I've certainly never been in any myself since at the first sign of BS I just walk away... However I was there just an hour or so after that kid got shot in the eye at the Eastman's show outside Atlanta, eventually died. Sad story, dealer screwed up and is getting hosed from what I hear. Hope it doesn't affect Eastman's Shows too badly...

[CWL]

The only incident I've ever been involved in was when the beef-jerkey seller wouldn't give me a second free sample.

Hereabouts in N. CA, the gunshows are so tame (& lame) that they're not worth going to anymore.

they are also heavily policed.

[sw442642]

This has mature language.

There was a table at the show run by two women who look like classic masculine gay
women. Maybe they aren't as they have stuff about Jesus at their table but they look
it. A dude comes in to sell a gun at a table across the aisle. The two women hear the
price offered (you know the lowball - yuk). They say come here and we will do much
better. Of course, the dude does. The other table owner goes nuts :fire::cuss: :fire:
and starts yelling that these dykes have taken away his business. He runs off
yelling about the dykes to find the show manager and perhaps have God slay all the
gay people. :what:

It was amusing to see. :evil:

[WhoKnowsWho]

The only confrontation I have seen was at the show was at the firearm check in desk. The guy came to check in his Ruger, opened the action, and a brass case popped out (who keeps fired brass cases in the gun anyways?) Well, the guy doing the check in started saying how could you leave something like that in there, I see brass I think live rounds, etc. While the guy trying to check in the firearm was like yeah, whatever, it wasn't loaded, you're over reacting. Went on for like 10 minutes until the other show runners stopped the argument.

I thought one over reacted and one under reacted personally... the guy checking in the firearm didn't even say sorry...

[Majic]

who keeps fired brass cases in the gun anyways?)

Cheap snap caps.

[t wayne]

I use to sell reloading supplies at gunshows.

At the fairground in Louisville, I had a "customer" try to return some bullets he had "bought from me" (not).

I was going to try to work something out but he got belligerent.

After I convienced him to move along, the cop doing security at the back door came over to me and said, "Ya know, it was going to take me a couple of minutes to get over here to get you off of him."

[Mike Irwin]

"do you know who I'am?"

I actually used that on a dealer once at a show.

He knew me, he just had never met me because we had done this transaction over the phone, but we had hit it off fairly well and there was a good joking going back and forth over this transaction.

When I met him at the show I didn't let on who I was, and for some reason it didn't dawn on him who I was when I said I was there to pick up XXX gun.

He asked me for my two forms of ID and I hit him with the "don't you know who I am?" in a snippy sounding voice. You could see in his eyes he was getting ready for a battle when he told me "no."

I came back with "Neither do I. Could you check my underwear to see if my Mommy printed my name in it?"

After he picked himself up off the floor we completed the transaction and then had dinner after the show. :)

[AZ Husker]

I do most every gun show in Arizona. The only confrontational people I've seen in the last few years are the show promoters themselves. Apparently they are catering to the cheap knives, phony crystal stemware, barbie dolls, candles....dealers, that they forgot it's a gun show most came for. Heaven forbid an average Joe pays $5 to park and $7 to get in, then carries one or two of his guns around to sell or trade. Nothing illegal about it, but all the promoter sees is the loss of a table fee. Last big show here the bonehead was yelling at traders until his face was scarlet. How sad!

[JohnKSa]

A collector friend of mine told me about seeing two guys get into a fistfight over a CZ-52 at a show. That was back before the wall came down, and they were hard to find in the free world.

IIRC, they both wanted the privilege of paying over a grand for one...

[MagKnightX]

In the amazing grand total of two gun shows that I have been to, at the times when I have been there, there has been no screaming, shouting, slapping, yelling, attacking, or as far as I know, confrontations. Just lucky, I guess.

[jsalcedo]

Soon after my dad bought me my 10/22 16 or so years ago I went to a gunshow to look for something other than the 10 round mag that comes with it (Heil Ruger!)

I found a table with Ramline 50 round drums that were purported to fit
10/22 and clones( AMT lightning?) for $7

Later that day we load up the drum and take it to the creek bed where we used to shoot.

It won't stay in the rifle. Too loose.. I try everything including holding it with one hand.

Finally it locks into place, I let go and it falls to the ground spewing .22 ammo everywhere.

The next day I go back for the second day of the gun show and take the
drum back to the guy who sold it to me (his bag , receipt etc...

The guy starts screaming at me about how he can't take back items after a sale. (I'm only 16 at the time) I ask him why he sells defective crappy magazines that won't even lock into place.

The guy turns purple and is practically foaming at the mouth while dozens of folks passing by and people waiting to buy the ramline drums by are suddenly interested in what the vendor has to say about it.

The Ramline vendor Slams $7 on the table hard enough so all his merchandise leaps into the air an inch or two and tells me to get lost
and to never come back.

Calmly I tell him to please give me my tax back as I paid 54 cents tax according to my reciept.

If the guy hadn't weighed 375lbs I think he would have jumped across the table and tried to choke me to death at that point.

The vendor yells "I'm not giving you back your
:cuss: ing tax you have already cost me too much:cuss: ing time.

By this time his potential customers who were standing in line had left
and he looked like he was going to have a stroke or aneurism.

SO I said "fine" and left. I went and bought some 30 rounders from some other guy. these had tabs that let you hook 2 mags together. (I still have those mags today)

[geekWithA.45]

For standing in front of his table and chatting with my buddy for too long.

We said, "excuse us", and moved along, but it wasn't like there was anybody lining up to buy his bore brushes, or anything.

[El Tejon]

Must be the heat out there.

Never had, have never seen here. Why would any fool get in a fight where everyone is armed. Some men you just can't reach.

[feedthehogs]

I set up an NRA and gun safety table every month the gun show.

Most vendors at the show are honest but over priced. The informative shopper already knows what stuff costs and what junk to stay away from.

So the confrontations are rare, but do happen.
Gun people are no different than anyone else.
Some good, some rotten.

Most have more problems with the :cuss: promoter.

[seeker_two]

Never have seen any confrontations at any of the gun show I go to....

...but most of the ones around here usually have no fewer than 5 LEO's on scene at any given time...

...usually doing a lot of shopping...

...and chatting with guys like me. :D

[zpo]

I didn't get to witness this, but, the news reported that some guy had checked his pistol and then loaded it inside the Tulsa Expo Square. He had a for sale sale sign on the holster, someone asked about it, he reached into the holster to draw it, and shot himself in the leg. Happened 2 hours after I left. Stupid people, ya know?

[Mornard]

This friend of mine who is a dealer, was yelled at - three shows in a row -- by the same woman, who accused him of discriminating against her because he wouldn't sell her a pistol without her handgun purchase permit...

[cxm]

Your story brought to mind something I had not thought of in a long time... it has always brought me a little laugh... hope it does for your and othres as well...Not exactlayon topic, but condier:

A Special Agent of a Bureau of the U.S. Government has stopped a guy early one morning and is questioning him. The possible perp proceeds to tell the SA that he he is very good friends:

1. The Director of the Bureau
2. The Attorney General
3. The Governor
4. The President of the United States
4. Just about everyone else from the Pope on down to the animal enforcement officer

The SA being a witty young man came back with a witty reply... "Well then... knowing all those people, it's a shame you don't know someone REALLY important."

The perp replied "And who might that be?" SA replies "Why if you knew SA John Smith you would not be here now." Perp asks "AND WHO is SA John Smith?" SA replies "Why me of course."

The young SA was quite pleased with his wit.... subsequently he decided he did not have grounds to arrest the perp and cut the guy loose.

Late that afternoon he gets a call on his radio to contact the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) muy pronto. Young SA calls the SAC and is told to report to the office... NOW!!!! The SA protests he gets off in a few minutes and it will take over two hours to get to the SAC's office... The SAC yells back for him to be there or else.

SOooooo... said young SA dutiifly drives to the SAC's office. Where he notices the SAC is VERRRRRRY red in the face and seems adgiated.

The SA also notes the man he had stopped early in the morning sitting across the room with feet on the SAC's desk enjoying a cigar. (The SAC did not smoke and did not allow agents to smoke in his presence.)

To make this as short as possible, it turned out the guy stopped did in fact know the people he said he knew.. The SA received a ferocious butt chewing and was offered an opportunity transfer to Bismark North Dakota or maybe if he was lucky Boise Idaho.

That SA is now well into his middle years... and has never forgotten.... the smart ??? may REALLY know those people he says he knows... and it costs nothing to be polite.

FWIW

Chuck

P.S. The young SA was luckey... he didn't wind up in North Dakota... though he didn't think the weather in upstate New York was much better.


Rick Wrote:
vi9er with thirty years of le/security I dont know how many times I have heard "do you know who I'am?" My favorite reply was always "I don't care but I'am sure you are going to tell me."