Gun show attendance

[Agent 0range]

Went to the Del Mar show for the first time today. Pretty much as I expected. I was there right at 9:00 and on my way home by 11:30 (was just too packed). I was able to stock up on some ammo and bought a few other things I had been looking for though, so it was worth it.

[ClarenceBoddicker]

Gun shows in CA (not counting the Great Western as that was it's own cultural event, a gun & military reenactor show together) peaked in the late 1980's before the George (Dookie) Deukmejian AWB. The new 1991 10 day waiting period for long guns & DROS requirement for all private party transfers was the finial nail in the coffin. Most big dealers & collectors moved out of CA around then. Add to that the 1994 Storefront FFL dealers/Lloyd Bentsen/Bill Clinton yearly FFL license fee increase from $10 to $66 & new regulations requiring compliance with all local ordinances ended most "mom & pop" kitchen table hobbyist gun dealers. A lot of the old timers with very impressive collections have passed away, not to be replaced by a newer generation. The media's demonetization of the US gun culture has worked to keep youths away from responsible gun usage. Kids are taught in taxpayer funded public schools that guns are bad & owning guns (unless by the police) is unethical or even quasi criminal.

Gun show attendance will uptick during panic buying seasons, but the quality of the merchandise will never be the same. Many unique gun items now will never see a gun show table, as online auction sales increase. Most of the worlds large meaningful military surplus market has disappeared or been legislated out of existence, or deemed no longer importable. Draconian US military demil regs under Clinton have vastly reduced US taxpayer built items from being sold to the public.

[waho]

Gun shows are probably more fun where you can buy guns.

What are you talking about. My neighbor picked up a really nice '56 Winchester '94. Cash and carry.

[PPQ]

I went to both the Costa Mesa and Ontario Gun Shows...both were packed to the rafters by noon...good thing I went early.

Other posters are right about what's available...alot of AR crap and stuff that has nothing to do with guns...and very few guns for sale...

The guns there seemed overpriced and I wonder how many ever sell??

I came out of both shows with a bunch of ammo and a few gunsmithing tools and cleaners.

I'm not sure if I came out ahead after paying parking and entry fees at both shows...

[waho]

Another question about entry prices, is there a difference in entry prices between McManns and Crossroads? At the Phoenix show they really nailed people with $12 parking and a $19 entry fee, otherwise it was the same show as Ventura except more people.

[whtl]

Ontario Gun Show

This last visit to the Ontario Gun Show was really something, the longest line I've ever seen. Entry fee $11.00 for seniors. I only live 15 min away so I have my wife drop me off and pick me up save on the high price of parking. I always take my Glocks and Sigs to Dave the the Glock Doctor.for any added parts and a good cleanning. As far as buying anything BEWARE alot of what you buy is over priced. You are better off having the Gun shops email you the special of the week.

[me109g4]

$12 parking and $19 to get in??? Holy crap,, there is a gun show in Springfield Ma. that the promoters are charging $11 to get in and the location owners are charging $5 to park and its killing the show, it used to be one of the biggest in the Northeast, now its universally hated ,and avoided by all but the most loyal of gun show attendees.

[The Gleam]

Gun shows in california remind me of flea markets. i rarely go anymore

Same reason here. I don't even find CA guns shows "fun" anymore. I used to go even if I had no plans or need to buy anything just for the atmosphere. Not anymore.

Gun shows in CA USED to mean that nearly every dealer was selling guns or ammo. Fine items too. Some even specialized, like there was always the guy that had a table FULL of S&W N-Frames from every era, or a guy that had a full booth of Lugers and C96s. Or there would be the guy with a huge lot of anything Colt 1911. No so anymore.

I have little if any motivation to go to CA's gun shows over the last 4 years, where the quality of available guns is lacking (if any), what is called rare and "collector" are a laugh along with laughable pricing, all to find I must navigate booths filled with trinkets, airsoft toys, "As-Seen-On-TV products, stun-guns, hokey "tactical" gear made in China, fantasy knives made in India or Taiwan, remote-control helicopters, cell-phones plans, jerky, bumper-stickers, dolls & stuffed animals, and t-shirts... just to find a few odd parts I MIGHT need IF I actually find any.

Anymore, CA guns shows DO look like flea-markets and not gun shows. Lately, it appears the non-gun item vendors are approaching a 60 percentile of the show!

Even the ammo prices are not all that great anymore after price of the show and taxes. Consider my time, I would rather have some of the select out-of-state suppliers ship to my feet at much less than I would pay for the same at a show.

Especially when I can go online, do a search on the part I need, and in seconds I get a long list of suppliers selling what i need in several variations at prices a gun show can't match.

[HotRails]

Gun shows in CA (not counting the Great Western as that was it's own cultural event, a gun & military reenactor show together) peaked in the late 1980's before the George (Dookie) Deukmejian AWB. The new 1991 10 day waiting period for long guns & DROS requirement for all private party transfers was the finial nail in the coffin. Most big dealers & collectors moved out of CA around then. Add to that the 1994 Storefront FFL dealers/Lloyd Bentsen/Bill Clinton yearly FFL license fee increase from $10 to $66 & new regulations requiring compliance with all local ordinances ended most "mom & pop" kitchen table hobbyist gun dealers. A lot of the old timers with very impressive collections have passed away, not to be replaced by a newer generation. The media's demonetization of the US gun culture has worked to keep youths away from responsible gun usage. Kids are taught in taxpayer funded public schools that guns are bad & owning guns (unless by the police) is unethical or even quasi criminal.

Gun show attendance will uptick during panic buying seasons, but the quality of the merchandise will never be the same. Many unique gun items now will never see a gun show table, as online auction sales increase. Most of the worlds large meaningful military surplus market has disappeared or been legislated out of existence, or deemed no longer importable. Draconian US military demil regs under Clinton have vastly reduced US taxpayer built items from being sold to the public.

Well said. No telling how many priceless guns have been melted or thrown away in "gun buybacks" due to the owners not knowing their worth.

[theicecreamdan]

I had a hell of a time getting to Direct Action Solutions on Saturday, it looked like the gunshow had something to do with it.

[j411701]

January's show in Ventura was very busy. This last one not so much. This is normal when there are other shows going on.

[h0use]

Del mar was packed on sunday. got there at 10 left about 12:30. alot of ammo being sold. bought the last 2000 rounds of LAX reloads... when we left the line to buy tickets was long! i would say 45min wait!!

[Rhythm of Life]

Everyone bought their C&Rs at Earl Warren Feb 11/12th.

[brassburnz]

I stopped by the Glendale show a couple of weeks ago. I was amazed at the size of the crowd. It hasn't been that crowded since the original pre-Obama election scare. I saw people DROSing guns and even more people taking the HSC exam. There were only a handful on non-firearms related vendors and only ONE beef jerky stand which my friends and I joked about when we saw it.

It's not even close to the old Pomona days (it would take 10, maybe more Glendale shows to fill the same amount of space as the old Pomona show), but it was encouraging to see so many people there.

[I_Love_My_.38]

Well the Stockton gun show this weekend had a hell of a lot more stands than the last time. Twice and a half almost three times as many, plus our Ron Paul group had a table up. I finally dros'd another saiga ak from Tracy Rifle and Pistol yeah!