Gun Show??

[Rstump]

Just came back from an RK Shows Inc gun show in Osage Beach Missouri.

Unheated steel prefab building, no running water, outside temp about 30 degrees F., no indoor rest rooms working, very small parking lot a mud quagmire.

Very angry vendors. NOT A FUN TIME I won't do this again.

 

[ljnowell]

Sounds like something you would find out that way. I live in IL, we have our areas like that too.

 

[Red Tornado]

The more RK shows I go to, the less likely I am to go to more. They tend to overprice admission, especially for the amount of tables they have.

However, I've hit a couple by SEMO Gun shows, and they were both okay. Last weeks in Jonesboro, AR was surprisingly good. They probably do some over your way.
RT

 

[gym]

Why go there, it makes me cold just thinking about it. They should have given you back your money, got to be violating several city and state ordinances.

 

[medalguy]

What, are all of you spoiled? I can remember some excellent shows in unheated FFA barns. Only the SERIOUS collectors and shooters turn out for those, very few tire-kickers.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Unhappy customers do to the conditions = non-returning customers.

Unhappy vendors = non-returning vendors.

Non-returning vendors = end of that show and lost revenue for the promotor.

No big loss!

 

[cheygriz]

I am very selective about the promoters. If I am not in agreement with the way a promoter runs a show, I will "snail-mail" him and express my veiws.

Depending on his response to my letter, (or lack thereof) I may, or may not, ever patronize another of his shows.

Fron the conditions you described, I would report this individual to the Board of Health.

 

[Sooner1911]

I attended a show in Tarrytown, NY yesterday. Although it was heated and had proper facilities, the quality of goods offered was pitiful. What wasn't barbecue sauce and jewelry, was mainly a bunch of worn out SKS and AK junk at inflated prices. One guy had a pretty much the entire HK pistol line and a bunch of ARs by various manufacturers, but the prices were ridiculous. Our $10 entry fees would have been better spent on ammo at Wallyworld. I know I am spoiled by the shows in Texas, but this was ridiculous.

 

[Ala Dan]

Heck here in central Bama'Land you are liable to find gunshows in cow pastures
and have too step over manure to get into the show; not to mention the smell~!
Most people that attend, wear Liberty overalls and chew tobacco; and sell fire-
arms between tail wags of the cows~!

 

[bannockburn]

Rstump

No running water? No heat? That's totally unacceptable; it's not like this is some county fair being held outdoors in the summer time. Heating, restrooms, and even limited food service are always the norm this time of year at all of the area gunshows.

I know I would never go to this show again until either the conditions improve or else it is moved to another more hospitable location.

 

[skoro]

I swore off gun shows three years ago.

Maybe I'm too old. I recall good shows back in the 80s and that's what I compare the current ones to. Then, it seemed like low admission got you to a place with good prices on decent items, some knowledgeable vendors, and offered some availability of hard-to-find items.

The last one I went to was a mob scene with high admission prices, way too many velvet Elvis paintings, "jewelry" made out of wire and plastic beads, lots of rusty, worn out milsurp junk, and FAR too much nazi paraphenalia for my taste. Felt like I took a wrong turn and ended up in a stormfront convention.

No mas.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

So, you will be going back to the next one, right?

 

[BENBRU]

Yep... I've sworn off gunshows unless I don't have to pay to get in. Usually not worth my time... however the OPs gunshow takes the cake for the worst I've heard of.

 

[Ala Dan]

Seriously, the last "gun show" I attended was at Birmingham's BJCC in October
of '06; and I found that the "show" its-self had gotten smaller, with more of the
"junk merchandise" such as jewelery, books, cosmetics, and the like being sold
by the vendors. There were tables scattered out that had a few guns and knives
on 'em; but prices were extremely high. And besides, the seller's were a bunch
of old fart's sitting a'round eating cookies and drinking milk~!

So, I swore off of "gun shows" right then and there~!

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

I hope they BAN gun shows and make everyone just shop at a regular gun store.
Thank should make everyone happy. matter of fact we should BAN all personal sales and make everyone go threw a gun shop for any transfer or sales.

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

I remember the show I bought a bad bag of jerky and I was really ticked off and I never went back again no matter how much I liked spending hours watching the chick with the fire starting tools. I guess her dad got mad because he finally asked me to move on but I had to leave anyway because the nascar race was staRting purty soon.

 

[Swamperjmb]

Thats funny..............

 

[Swamperjmb]

There pretty much the same here, a mob scene. People running around like chickens with there head cut off. For me personally its cheap entertainment with the occasional bargain...... Where else can you go for $10 and get 8 hours of cheap entertainment?????? OK I'm beat, I guess walmart is right up there to with the dmv shortly behind.......LOL

 

[medalguy]

Agreed, gun shows aren't what they used to be in Houston, for example. Consider the number of shows in any given area now compared to 20 years ago. Way back then, everyone saved up their money and went to "THE gun show" where we had vendors from all over the country with great pieces not found locally for the most part. Unusual items were commonly found at shows and we got spoiled. Fast forward to today. We now have about 50 shows a year within 50 miles of downtown, so John Q Public can go to a "gun show" somewhere across town, maybe two, any given weekend. No one saves up their money, the dealers don't sell nearly as much, and none of the great dealers from across the country bother coming any longer. This is one of the reasons prices have risen so much and quality has gone down.

Now with incrases in gas prices, even fewer dealers and public will be attending. Anything you want will have to be bought online, not my favorite place, but that's where we are heading. Rather than complain about the shows today, I'm saddened to see them decline, but that's the way of the world.

 

[Rstump]

In fairness to the organizers, I sent them a copy of my original post and expressed my displeasure. I received the following replies:

The gentleman that rented us the building totally misrepresented him self to us we did not know until Friday morning that we would not have any heat and on Thursday that he had no running water or sewer we at that point could not cancel the show it was all advertised already there was not much we can do, we do not like to have situations like that for the public nor our dealers it was not a great event for us, we do not like to rent buildings from someone that actually lied to us about the conditions of his building. I am sorry you feel that way about us, it was not our intent we would be happy to give you and you son free admission to another show that we promote and no other building has problems in Missouri like that one. I apologize for your issues. I will however give you the gentlemans phone number so you can post that on the website where he needs to hear about such things. I will forward that as soon as I get it. Thanks Joyce Kehrli

 

[cheygriz]

I'd love to be able to once again go to gunshows where there were shooters, hunters, collectors, gun enthusiasts and NO FFL DEALERS!

 

[XxWINxX94]

NO FFL DEALERS!

+1, this $____ +tax garbage is ridiculous. I am there to buy, sell, and/or trade guns, ammo, or things related to those two at reasonable prices. The stuff the "dealers" have is overpriced, even without the tax.

 

[Swamperjmb]

+2...... I think that even if a dealer was there they shouldn't charge tax to begin with. They are not selling in there store front. To make matters worse, some of these clowns attend the shows the next state over and still charge tax...... Lets just say thats the last time that I bought from that guy......

 

[bannockburn]

Well I like having FFL dealers at gunshows. First, they offer a lot of different guns that can't always be found at any of the area gun shops and sporting goods stores. Secondly, having a number of dealers there allows me to price shop on similar items without having to drive around, going from store to store, to get the best deal. And last, I don't know about other shows, but quite a few dealers are very competitive with their pricing, making for some good buys if you know the prices on what you're looking for.