Gun show etiquette, ethics and manners...

[WuzzFuzz]

You know John, I can remember when the show there at the fair grounds was really enjoyable to go to..Lots of dealers. Lots of individual sellers and buyers. Guns and ammo of all descriptions.

But as you say, you want a flea market, go to the Greyhound on a Saturday or Sunday morning. At least it's outside. Even Glendale swap is nothing but junk now.

It will probably help in a few months when many of the Snowbirds head north.

Just my observation.


WuzzFuzz

 

[Brian41]

Good list and a lot of the reasons I tend to skip the shows anymore. I guess I got spoiled by the way they used to be back when people had respect for others and their property. I still make the occasional show but haven't found much to buy in quite awhile.
I used to help my former boss with his tables in the 80's and especially liked the trading that went on before the show started. I guess that's where the good stuff goes these days as I see little of it on the tables anymore.
I can imagine it's real frustrating for those with tables anymore as I cringe when I see how so many handle guns these days. I only handle those I'm interested with permission and try and be respectful of other's property.

 

[Marine Corps Air]

John - you and the other forum members have collectively provided all of us with some excellent reminders. My regret is that the people who really need to read every word of these posts never will.

My input, FWIW,

1. Leave your babies, especially in strollers, friends, children, relatives, and any one else under 21 at home! If you can't afford child care, pool your funds with another attendee and allow the children to stay somewhere else and have fun.

2. The aisles at gun shows are always narrow (increases the table density for the sponsors). Shoot the bull or reminisce with friends in the snack bar area. chud333 and I must have attended the same shows.

3. Always respect others, especially those buyers who need to pass or get to the front of the sellers to negotiate. There's no room for "tire kickers"!

4. Ban knife sales at gun shows, or don't advertise and promote them as "Gun Shows." $10.00 per head in this area is too much to pay for a show that has more than half of the sellers with only knives to sell.

While I have bought a lot of firearms through the Internet, I doubt that it will ever come close to replacing a LGS, FTF, or gun show. Poor quality photos, too few photos, too much wax, poor photo lighting, limited descriptions, and intentional embellishments of the facts as to the real condition of the firearm by the sellers all translate in to buyer disappointment!

 

[Old Corp]

One thing I really enjoyed at the gun shows many years ago - the total absence of 'urban youth', or apparent gang members trolling the aisles impressing everyone with their cool badness.
Have seen plenty of it here, complete with the pants way down to posterior, gold chains, etc.

Used to be sort of the 'common man' gathering, not a bunch of weirdos, Soldiers of Fortune wannabes and 'Operators'.

 

[tomf52]

opaul said:Well its not just gun shows. For the most part, in any large event, there are going to be crude, rude and unattractive personalities lurking about. What to do about it? Stay home, endure it or go late on the last day. I think we will never see "the way it used to be" be again.

I hate to have to say this as I am a part of both fraternities but, there is a huge difference in the social level of clientel between gun shows and fly fishing shows. Gun shows just seem to draw a very different class of people. Different, not for the better.

 

[Mickey D]

I always like it when someone spills a drink on your table and they get PO'd when you get PO'd.

I unfortunately did that at a T shirt/hat vendors table. I purchased 3 hats and four shirts that didn't even fit me. Never again!

 

[scooter123]

26. Having a pretty girl at the table is a nice marketing touch. I like that.

John

Must have been a BIG TIME MAJOR Gun Show, because around here in Michigan you don't see a pretty girl at a table EVER, what you see are Old Farts like myself with a spare tire larger that we would admit to, some bald and some gray. BTW, I've been working hard enough clearing snow in the past month that this morning I was able to take my belt in one notch without thinking about it. I guess that's one positive of one of the worst winters in my recent memory. Bad news is that the hair is still gray and I still have a spare tire larger than I'm willing to admit too.

 

[paplinker]

The last show i was at some guy asked to rub my feet
I just kept going. Seems he was trying to sell shoe inserts.

That's a hard way to make a living. I can only imagine what gun show feet must smell like.

 

[rburg]

Around here, they're advertised as gun and knife shows.

A simple fact seems to be missing. The buyers actually tend to dictate what is offered for sale. Our gun shows are pretty much dictated by the individual vendors. The promoter can exclude willing vendors, but they can't even fill the hall with the policy of allowing everyone inside. It evades some of the walk in customers, but they really can walk past the tables of items that don't interest them. They don't even need to complain, just walk past.

You may also be preaching to the wrong audience. Stand outside and yell at those coming inside. Tell the customers not to even look at the offerings you feel are so offensive. They will look at you like you're crazy and that you have no right to tell them what to be interested in buying. Its also kind of a perfect competition deal. Vendors pay a bunch of money to attend the gun shows. No, not the minor $10 (or $5) you pay out front. So the vendors bring along anything they feel will sell. If it doesn't sell, they'll eventually stop bring it along. If they don't make any money, they'll stop renting tables. But what you see are the vendors who have the stuff you find offensive just keep coming back and selling. Show after show. If they weren't selling anything, why would they do that?

The reality is gun shows have evolved over the years. No one just decided to suddenly bring junk. They bring it even though you don't like it because others do like it, and it sells. They've also discovered that survivalists are often gun nuts. And they go camping and fishing. The gun dollars can be spent on all kinds of cool stuff. And from time to time I even hear complaints about all the reloading booths. Why buy bullets or gunpowder when you can just buy loaded ammo? And they take up valuable space that could have guns. Cool new black guns they like. Why do they even include antique flintlocks. No child of today would buy that.

Gun shows are composed of offerings that have proven to sell well. I don't care if you are a vegan, beef jerky sells. Just because you are selfish and only want to see things that interest you, you surely wouldn't pay the $100 admission if the promoter excluded all the stuff you find objectionable. He'd have to charge that much because he'd also be excluding all the other people.

If you want a gun show with just your kind of items, start your own show and see how many people beat a path to your door.

 

[litenlarry]

The buzz word that sticks in my mind a lot of non knowers is the "gunshow loophole"..
Gunshow's in my area are going the way of the dinosaur, no deals, costly and proximity..
I do miss the alligator jerky tho...

 

[Tony C.]

I've been going to gun shows for more than 30 yrs, I don't know about you, but I'll be glad to pay 3 time the current admission to a GUN SHOW.

Here are the thing I DON"T want to see:

NO fishing rods; lures; tackle box; downrigger....etc, they should be in a fishing a show.

NO knifes, want to see knifes? go to knife show.

NO crossbow, archery stuff, go to archery show to show them off.

NO camping; survival stuff such as axe; MRE; chemical toilet; camo tent; camo clothing; camo everythings.

NO Nazi memorabilia, I don't care if that is Herman Goering's bed pan, don't belong in a gun show.

NO sport cards of any kind.

NO jerky; honey; home made jam; pickles; sausages...

NO wildlife; western; landscape; painting; prints; wood carvers....etc, "art works" of any kind.

NO auto; motorcycle parts, any things related to NASCAR.

Scopes; shooting optics; gun parts; reloading suppliers; gun leathers are allowed, provided they do not occupy more than 10% of floor space.

Other posters said there won't be much people attend if gun show excluded things un related to guns, that may be true, but as I said I'll be glad to pay more to a high quality gun show, when I go to a GUN SHOW, I want to look at GUNS!

 

[JSR III]

Not sure that the jerky or the shine everything guy or the cheap 10 million candle power flashlights from China are there for the viewing public. As someone stated earlier, the promoters just want to sell as many tables as possible. Around here, a table is $80 per day so the more tables that you sell, the more $$$ that you make. Add that to thousands of folks at $10 a head and its not a bad gig.

NEW RULE: You must shower before you come to the show.

 

[Donn]

Attended one at Novi, MI, today.

Hit Novi today, (Sunday), and got a brand new gun show pet peeve. Show's crowded, narrow aisles and the younger generation adds to it by walking around with their heads buried in their smart phones. As if it wasn't hard enough to negotiate the aisles.

 

[BruceB]

I just posted some complaints about the local WAC show in Puyallup Washington (left coast WA) over in the Semi Auto forum, and was happy to see many of the same gripes here. I guess it's everywhere.

But - on the gun show etiquette side -

If you saw someone obviously misleading a customer about a gun, would you butt in, or is it buyer beware? I saw an obviously re-finished nickel S&W revolver being passed off as 'original finish' although it had the nickled hammer and trigger, buffed out markings and rounded edges of the typical bubba refinish attempt. I bit my tongue and moved on, but thought about it for a while longer. What would you do?

 

[gfy1960]

Like any other social activity you will get a percentage of society that you normally wouldn't associate with. I'm not talking race just folks you normally wouldn't pal around with. Whether it be the goofball with a cannon or the family that packs every kid to come along etc. it is what it is. I just shake my head and move on lifes too short to sweat the small stuff.

It's ALL small stuff.

 

[zeke]

38-if you're gonna sell brauts, make sure ya cook the dam things. Some of us purposely support the kind people bothering to sell refreshments at gunshows. This is Wisconsin, and the founding father of the "Brauts for breakfast club" be watching.

39-If you're gonna sell handloads, at least make sure the bullets can't be pulled out of the case by simply picking up the round by the bullet. And ifen you're stupid enough to ignore this basic principle, expect some cranky old gentleman to comment to ya directly and loudly.

 

[iouri]

So are you trying to say I can't spin the cylinder and slam close it ?

 

[Mydogmax]

I just posted some complaints about the local WAC show in Puyallup Washington (left coast WA) over in the Semi Auto forum, and was happy to see many of the same gripes here. I guess it's everywhere.

But - on the gun show etiquette side -

If you saw someone obviously misleading a customer about a gun, would you butt in, or is it buyer beware? I saw an obviously re-finished nickel S&W revolver being passed off as 'original finish' although it had the nickled hammer and trigger, buffed out markings and rounded edges of the typical bubba refinish attempt. I bit my tongue and moved on, but thought about it for a while longer. What would you do?

If I were that customer, I would have been appreciative of your help. You wouldn't make any friends with the seller though. But then again, who'd want that seller for a friend anyway.

 

[italiansport]

I was a Crossroads Gun Show attendee in Phoenix over the weekend.
I have watched this show degrade over the years so that now an appreciable portion of the tables carry non-firearms related products. and in some cases just plain junk. Every time I walk by a table loaded with "Russian Treasures" I have to suppress an urge to upend it.
This problem I lay squarely in the lap of the promoter and in this case I think the attitude is to milk as much money as possible from the vendors and to hell with what they're bringing.
Additionally; When you couple this with a $16 admission fee and a $7 parking charge I'm surprised that many people even bother to attend anymore.
When I 1st started attending gun shows around 40 years ago the "vendors" were primarily fellow collectors who were there to sell/trade forearms within their own collection and not necessarily trying to turn a profit.
This has changed to now the collectors are a small minority of those who set up and the bulk are dealers there to make a profit.
I for one sorely miss shows like CADA that used to be held in the Midwest. Well the bulk of tables holders were dealers at least what they were offering for sale was strictly controlled and no flea market junk was allowed.
Jim

 

[Jim1392]

How about some of the prices at these shows. I recently went to one in Charlotte and as I was walking by a table I happened to glance down and saw a model 60 S & W snub nose stainless. I asked the fellow behind the table if I could take a look at it and after picking it up I found it was my exact S & W Model 60 no dash. When I picked it up the tag turned over and it said $799.00 It did have a box and papers but after seeing the price I gently placed it down and moved on thinking to myself if I could get that for mine I would really think about selling it.