Thanks for the question. I've been a member for 40+ years; it would be more but they don't count the years I attended with a family badge. The rules for becoming a member of OGCA are not now as restrictive as they once were. In fact, the rules have been recently modified to help people who had been members in the past to join again. The OGCA website explains it all pretty clearly. I think you only need one sponsor (if you have a ccw) as a past member now (as opposed to two for folks joining for the first time). There is even a way to rejoin without a sponsor, but you still have to get current member to sponsor a visit as a guest. And don't worry about "imposing" on your friend because they are now giving out awards to folks who sign up at least five new members! The only real challenge is getting you and your friend together at the next meeting, which is November 18-19.
Yes, OGCA is changing but not as dramatically as some other so-called "gun shows." For example, I stopped going to the show in Syracuse, New York, when the single biggest buyer of space was a guy selling recliners. There is still no jerky at OGCA, at least none that I have seen. There are lots more "dealers" than there used to be and the dealers aren't simply dealers in collectibles. They have changed the rules which discouraged "new" guns. Many, if not most, of the dealers that offer "new" firearms have storefronts and closely follow federal regulations. And yes, the feds are there at every show, in some form or another. Another point that has changed is the appearance of the "auction houses." Each show now has a dozen or more tables taken up by auction houses, trying to get you to consign your stuff and/or buy some stuff at their next auction. The result is that more and more collectors are consigning their items to these auction houses, which makes less and less stuff availabe on the tables at the OGCA shows. It seems that allowing these auction houses to have tables is really self defeating for the Associaiton because it is literally killing it. Another issue is that next year the Association is having two shows at the IX Center in Cleveland again! Once again, I don't understand why the Association is spending money to rent a facility in a town that threw them out! Yes, I understand that the folks in the Cleveland area think that Wilmington is too far, but there has to be some place nearby that isn't in Cuyahoga County! Best of luck -- hope to see you there!
