No Tactical Weapons Allowed At Harrisburg Sport Show

[Parkeroutdoors]

Well let it up to the sportsman's show to screw up. Harrisburg Sportsman Show will not allow any venders to have or sell parts for any assault weapons. including Ar15 or AK 47 or any there assault based weapons! The people who throw this sportsman show are middle of the fence profit mongers, many venders are withdrawing from the show, due to the lack of support for our second amendment Rights. My family and I will not attend this show! I do not support this cause!!!

[Rovert]

The Reed Group has announced it's not going to allow displays which include "assault weapons" at the 2013 Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg. I decided I am going to boycott the event this year and sent the following letter to voice my objection to their policy.

Sent via Email this morning:

Just a note to say that, along with many other law-abiding gun owners who are tired of the kneejerk pantywaist reactions of people like you, I will not be going to your Harrisburg show, or any other you promote. Please feel free to let me know when you get your heads out of the sand and reconsider.

[aubie515]

I always liked the Harrisburg show, but I'm not going to give them any of my money.

Everyone has an opinion for/against firearms. Well, I know many companies could care less what my opinions are, but how I can voice my opinion is to spend my hard earned money elsewhere.

[Pector55]

So I had already purchased tickets for my son and a friend to go. I registered early to attend the Utah Carry permit class so I got tickets for my son and a friend to check things out while I was in class.

Rather than boycott, I will wear my SAF shirt and my NAGR hat when I am inside the show. I will be sure to support the vendors who boycott the show by not spending money at the show. Anything I see that I want, will be purchased through one of those who backed out.

I hunt archery (both bow and crossbow), rifle and inline muzzleloader. I fish with fly rods, spinning and baitcasters. I own a bass boat and even troll / downrig. My son and I also bowfish. On top of that I shoot pistols and evil black rifles. Oh yeah, I reload as well. I don't think these people realize that "Sportsman" don't just walk fields for pheasant or sit in blinds for ducks. Many of us do it all and we spend a buttload of money... just ask our wives.

[ChamberedRound]

Here's information from the Shall Not Be Questioned blog on this, with contact information. All emphasis is mine, and note there's lots of links in the article I didn't replicate, so click the link to the article for the details:

http://www.pagunblog.com/2013/01/18/...les-magazines/

If you’re a gun owner or hunter anywhere within a day’s drive of Pennsylvania, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard of the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in passing. It’s an absolutely massive outdoor show that has previously allowed firearms vendors to showcase their wares alongside outfitters looking whisk you away on a new hunt. Not this year.

We saw news from a credible source last Friday that the show was putting a ban on modern sporting rifles & magazines. Not only can the firearms and magazines not be on display, “no brochures or documentation that mentions or pictures any ‘black rifle’ or high capacity magazine will be allowed.” We asked around about the issue, and of course, noted as soon as we saw the statement that the company that actually puts on the show is none other than Reed Exhibitions – the same company that NSSF contracts with to put on SHOT Show. Needless to say, Reed did not institute such a ban on SHOT, only on the ordinary consumers that will be frequenting the ESOS. To them, it’s apparently a privilege that only credentialed people can look at the guns or hear their names, but we lowly citizens have no rights to speak or see these firearms and accessories.

Needless to say, the post we saw about the potential ban was verified this week. What’s more, according to one vendor who posted their letter to Reed online, Reed has seemingly violated their agreements with vendors on not only what would be allowed, but how parts of the show would be marketed. Domari Nolo Defense Consulting reports:

In particular, the removal of the promised Tactical section and renaming of that part of the event in a way that belittles the efforts of companies involved is unacceptable.

We would not have agreed to be included in a ‘Wild West’ area had that been the original agreement. Our sponsors also do not want such an association, and have pulled their support of our show presence.

In fact, according to other exhibitor reports, the organizers behind the ESOS won’t even return phone calls or emails to the exhibitors concerned and impacted by the decision. In other words, our money and the money from vendors who sell guns we use was good enough for Reed before, but now they want to have us banned from the premises.

Fortunately, we gun owners are happy to listen. Sebastian & I were planning to attend the Eastern Sports & Outdoors Show – something we have done while also lending a hand to NRA’s booth in the past. We pay for our own entrance fees and we support the vendors on the floor. Well, we did do all of those things. We will not be doing it this year. We will also ask our family members in the area not to attend.

Reed is more than happy to take the money of the modern firearms industry from NSSF with SHOT Show, and word on some forums is that they are keeping the money of the vendors who are pulling out now that they can no longer support the show’s restrictions on their products or those related to their products. They will take our money, but they will work against our Second Amendment rights and actively work to hurt the shooting sports communities. That is a problem.

People boycotting the show have already started to organize, and they are also doing great work in highlighting the exhibitors who are taking a significant financial loss and pulling out of the show over this decision – even when their products aren’t being banned (yet).

Gun owners, especially those in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, are asked to contact Reed’s headquarters at 203-840-4800, inquiry@reedexpo.com, or by fax at 203-840-5805.

Or, as boycotting folks have noted, the information for the Reed employees (or director contractors) assigned to run the ESOS were previously published online, and some of the key folks include:

Group Vice President – Ed Several
Phone: 203-840-5932
Fax: 203-840-9932
Email: eseveral@reedexpo.com

Event Director – Chris O’Hara
Phone:
717-368-7487
Fax: 203-840-9868
Email: cohara@reedexpo.com

Public Relations – Deb Davis
Phone: 717-834-6267
Fax: 717-834-6207
Email: ddavis@conceptoneinc.com

Marketing – Cathy Kitlasz
Phone: 203-840-5871
Fax: 203-840-9781
Email: ckitlasz@reedexpo.com

If you have a moment, also consider checking out the products of some of the companies that have decided to stand with us and lose the investment they paid to exhibit at the show. Here are the ones I have found so far:

Nature Blinds
Cutting Edge Bullets
Lancaster Archery Supply
Atlantic Tactical
Boondock Outdoors
Whitetail Bosses
Trop Gun Shop
Dead Ringer Hunting
Domari Nolo Defense Consulting
Kinsey’s Outdoors

In addition to the above vendors who are sacrificing thousands of dollars just in deposits and many more thousands in lost sales, The Bear Whisperer from The Sportsman’s Channel is withdrawing his promotional appearance.

Interesting. A VP and the Events Manager from Reed's viewed my LinkedIn profile after I sent them my email.

Yup, keep contacting them via the information provided above, and make sure not to attend!

Boycotting is one option, the other is showing up and asking for the stuff that isn't there and thus being part of the input process. If we aren't there then they're easily led to think we don't exist or at least aren't among them. Changing from within is MUCH more effective than being a complaining a-hole outside holding up a sign.

If attendance were free, I would agree with you. But for those that currently have no obligation to them, why give them money for the "privilege" of voicing an opinion? In this case, the best opinion they hear is the echo of an empty exhibition hall.

For those that purchased tickets prior to their announcement and are stuck, IMHO the best course of action is to attend and make it abundantly clear to everyone involved that you were "sucker-punched" by their policy decision, and that you have no intention of supporting them or their exhibitors any further.

[LifeInPa]

This could be a solid move by the NRA. They have condemned Reed and threatened future opportunites with them pending Reed's decison. Meanwhile, the farm show will be full of Fudd's. The vast majority who don't give a crap about AR's and 30 rd mags and won't think twice about throwing us under the bus. Here is the NRA's opportunity to shine by educating those Fudd's and getting them on our side or at the least, getting donations from them that can be used in our battle. Ultimately, if they can convince some Fudds that our battle is their battle, we all come out better.

I absolutely agree and don't condemn the NRA's actions. Plus you have to remember outside the state of Pa you have a lot of hunters who hunt with AR's and other magazine fed semi's. This show from what I can tell is a Hunting/Sporting expo for the whole East Coast. So I am sure a lot of hunters aren't pleased with the actions of Reed's. Just read the Facebook page, 98% of the posters condemn the actions of Reed. You just have 1-2 anti's spreading their ignorance along with 2-3 Fudd's applauding Reed's actions.

[rxer311]

My Father in Law could be classified as a "Fudd" and even he is boycotting it.

[birdhunter317]

Cabelas just pulled out.............................loved them before.........love them more

[Berks_Iraq_Vet]

Just released on Facebook post. Good job Cabela's. They know which side their bread is buttered on.

[Berks_Iraq_Vet]

Cabela's just pulled out.