Well, to start off it was an antique/modern gun show. I was expecting more guns and accessories, but seen a lot of old war photos, stamps, currency, and memorabilia which was not interesting to me at all. There were some good deals to be had and there were some not so good deals, but more so then not just middle of the road stuff.

The dealers/sellers all seemed decent, the buyers were very pushy and rude. One guy fell on me smelling of booze, which really pissed me off . Im not a man of many patience when it comes to drinking and alcoholics. After a couple hours of that I left... It reminded me of a large flea market.

Are they all like this or did I just stumble on a bad show? I didnt know what to expect, but I was hoping for something different I guess...........

Probably only in Mass. No, all shows are not like that and in all my years of gun shows, I have yet to find a falling down drunk at one; surprised he got in.

The last gun show I went to was a large crowd in a small building. It was literally shoulder to shoulder. To stop and look at something you had to plant your feet firmly and hold your ground. I saw a couple people fall down but I don't think they were drunk.

there are a variety of presentations in the ones I've attended over the years.

There used to an 'antique/modern' show in Portland Or where one side of the venue had the old stuff. It would be not unusual to find people in Indian War era garb, cavalry uniforms, WW1 gear, etc.

Then a long decline into beanie babies & whatever the current Tupperware products.

The last few years I have avoided most of them.
There's a few local shows that have dramatically increased in quality and amount of 'gun stuff' and no longer allow the flea market vendors in.

I believe it's due to increasing complaint by those interested in gun stuff, not just flea market stuff.

Don't let one such experience affect your further interest. Seek out what your local buddies recommend as being generally good shows.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

Sorry you had such a bad experience at your first gunshow. Shows here require only firearms or firearms related items can be on the tables. I can relate to your complaint about beanie babies and stuff though. There seems to be a lot of arts and crafts vendors at car swap meets which seem to be less regulated.

Don't give up! The hunt for good deals is what makes shows so fun, you never know what will turn up. Try going to a couple more shows before you pass judgement....

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"Shall not be infringed"

+1. Keep looking. I've been to some that were almost 100% guns and couldn't find anything that interested me, then go to one that is mostly flea market junk and find a gun I have been searching for and get it at a good price. You just never know.

I've seen drunks at gunshows. It must really impress people going to other events at the fairgrounds to see some drunken moron stagger out of the gunshow.

Booze on your breath at shows i attend gets you turned away if the doorman, usually cop or security, smells it.

Well, it was a basic entry. The only way you had to deal with security/cops was if you were coming or going with a gun or backpack. As far as beer goes, I seen a good dozen people walking around with cups of beer... I think they were selling it there.

Ill look into some more shows and try not to lose faith. I like seeing some of the older guns, etc. Hopefully the next one will be better.

I've never seen anyone drunk at a gun show; smelling of alcoholic beverages; or anyone selling alcoholic beverages at a gun show. Gun shows are like any other group of people; sometimes you get a few stinkers. Try a few more; each show is different and has different opportunities.

Gunshows run the gamut of great to ****** and everything inbetween. The best shows for me are what's known as "Collector's shows" like the one in Baltimore next weekend where people come from all over the world to display, buy, and sell. No modern stuff, just old stuff. But you need an appreciation of history to attend one.

I've pretty much given up on gunshows around here. The big one seems to be Bill Goodman, and the last few times I've been there it has been mostly people selling trinkets and other junk, a few dealers, and no deals.

I've bought a couple guns at gun shows, but I could just as easily go to the local store and order what I want for as good a price as I've seen at the shows.

I've never seen any drunks at the shows though. They seem to do a decent job of keeping it orderly.

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Common sense isn't so common.

Actually, the Goodman shows are the small ones. The huge ones are in Louisville 4 times a year, and just up the road from you in Wilmington 6 times a year (OGCA.)

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Dick Burg

Yea, I mean, I was disappointed, but maybe I just have to attend some in different areas. Im sure there hit or miss like anything, but it was more the attendees that sent me away. You never realize how rude/ignorant people are until you attend things with large crowds. I could go on and on about the pros and cons I experienced, but Id rather just chalk this up to a bad experience and move on........ Hopefully the next one will be better where ever I may land.........

That's the ticket. A lot of wisdom gained in just one experience. I've been to the local Orlando shows for almost 30 years. Sometimes "effluent", sometimes golden. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Brian, come on down to Tulsa next month. We put on a nice little old gun show down here that just might be what you're looking for. Lots of members here will be there, and the big gorilla is usually there, too. He's a lot nicer in person.

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Insert short witty words here

Brian,
If your talking about the Big E show, I was set up there. I have had tables there since 1993 and I only saw one person who may have been drunk. I turned him into the police. The promoters of that show have no control over what the Big E sells, so if you saw a drunk it wasn't there fault. You never stopped at my table, or maybe you don't know what two Registered Magums, a pre war Kit Gun and a 1905 Semi Target .38 revolver looks like. Those are some of the items on my tables. There were at least 20 dealers that had good quality S&W's for sale. Maybe your next show will be better.

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Don Mundell

Club Gun Fan, I didnt blame anyone for anything. I stated there was a drunk person at the show that stumbled and fell into me, which irritated me...... thats all. Nor did I state that there were junky firearms there. I stated that the show had a lot of other things besides guns that didnt interest me. I also looked for your table to say hi as I said I would, but couldnt find tables 11 and 12. All I seen were letters... Although in the general area you pointed me in there was an older gentlemen (60's? maybe older) with some good firearms that I went to and later went back... Not sure if that was you or your neighbor. I am a newbie though so I didnt catch the 2 registered magnums, etc... .

Next time.............. Theres always next time.

Gun show quality depends a lot on who is sponsoring the show and what rules they choose to enforce. The only way to find the ones you like is to attend a variety of shows or talk to somebody who attends shows regularly. I have never attended a show where alcohol was sold, and it is an incredibly stupid idea IMHO.

Brian, sorry about your experience, and NO, guns and booze do NOT mix, in fact last OGCA they removed some members who were sitting and drinking beer behind the table, and they had like six tables of big, high dollar long guns, and this was on Friday night, before the show even started, it was during set-up, they were GONE........THANK YOU !
next time you see anything like that ,you gotta tell, notify, someone, security , management, whatever........accident waiting to happen.

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dan
NRA Benefactor,PMA

We hold gunshows here in casinos, but I have yet to see anybody falling down drunk or smelling that badly of booze. Maybe the security folks weed them out.

Sorry to hear you had such a rough introduction to gun shows.

At most of the Gun Shows around here the quality of merchandise has been getting worse as far as having more junk and fewer quality guns of the type I enjoy. We are seeing more crafts and food and large gun dealers, rather than the old shows with many old timers selling privately owned guns. Prices have also sky rocketed and the number of good deals has dwindled.

However in all the many dozens of shows I have attended I have never encountered a drunk or rude behavior. However, the type of persons attending gun shows is slowly changing also. There are more and more people there who know nothing of guns or who seem out of place.

I've been going to gun shows for over 25 years, and I don't ever recall seeing anyone drinking. After awhile you get to know what shows attract what kind of dealers. I recall driving 150 miles to a show in a fair sized city that I anticipated would be a good show. It was 85% beef jerky, and trinkets. It was held in a gymnasium sized building, and there was no line to get in (1st clue). As soon as I entered the big room I could see every table, there were that few people. I walked the entire show (it was packed with tables) in 30 minutes or less and only saw 1 gun worthy of even being picked up. Needless to say I haven't been back to that show. There is another show that I try to not miss, held in one of our state capital fair grounds buildings. About the size of 4 basketball courts. Nice show, wide aisles, lots of "gun" dealers and plenty of reloading supplies. There are no tables of non-gun items, none at all. Don't overlook the little gun shows in the small towns. I have been to a couple that may be only 75-100 tables and usually find some neat stuff. Like the pair of N Frame diamond magna grips for $25, or the diamond K frame grips with the stain (refinished beautifully) for $10. Keep at it, you'll find the shows you like and some good guns too.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

The drunk would not have got in in a show in my area. At the door at our shows usually are at least one Constable and a few off-duty Police and at least two FBI guys.

They do sell Beer at the Gun Shows here-but too many on an off-duty LEOs around for one to think of acting stupid and getting drunk.