Posted on 01/24/2013 10:19:45 AM PST by Texas Fossil
A massive boycott sparked by the NRA and other gun-rights groups outraged that the nation's largest outdoors show banned the exhibition of assault weapons has caused the show's organizers to abruptly cancel the week-long event in Harrisburg, Pa.
The successful boycott was the biggest demonstration of support by the outdoors industry yet against gun control efforts being pushed in Washington and in several states.
"Reed Exhibitions has decided to postpone, for now, the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show given the controversy surrounding its decision to limit the sale or display of modern sporting rifles (also called ARs) at the event. The show was scheduled to take place February 2-10 in Harrisburg, Pa.," the organizer said in a statement Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
They probably had trouble getting Obama and the BATF to stop the pressure on them to ban AR's.
Now the space is available, who wants to put on an Outdoors and Sporting show??? I want in with anyone picking up the slack with a week to go.
Reed went along with this and should be bankrupted for the effort.
The important development is not that the NRA boycotted the show, it's that so many general outdoor suppliers (Cabela's) boycotted, and so many "hunters" and "sports shooters" supported them.
Personally, since the 1970's, I have refused to purchase "sporting goods" of any kind from any brick and mortar store that does not sell firearms.
As a sportsman, I refuse to be separated from the strictly 2A Constitutionalist, it is simply a Marxist Alinsky tactic to allow the crocodile to eat you only after the 2A patriot is eaten.
Yes, I picked up on the “Modern Sporting Rifles” term as well.
Use - control, actually - of language and terminology is critical in any sort of policy debate. “Assault Rifle” is a highly negative term with a lot of baggage and perception associated with it.
It’s high time we stopped ceding the language of the debate to the other side. Adopting - embracing - “Modern Sporting Rifle” is an excellent place to start.
The NRA isn;t the only source of information on gun rights anymore, the Internet has made things like this more "grass rootsie"... The press doesn't get that though, they act as if the NRA is coordinating everything pro-gun.
Yep. Understand.
Question is where you get it. hee hee hee
Exactly. They are just as happy that the show was canceled as we are.
Can't remember how long ago it was, but I remember seeing a photo, where there was a sign on a corral / paddock. Something like below.
If you can only run across the corral / paddock in under 6 seconds, don't enter. The BULL can do it in 3.5 seconds.
Good outcome. Thanks to those vendors who stood together and put principle over profit.
What you said, Lady.
Molon Labe!
“It’s interesting that Reed would rather cancel the show than just cancel their policy on AR-15s.”
I think this was an ideological decision for them. I looked on their website earlier, and they were bragging about the first conference to train travel agents to handle LBGT special needs.
I also saw a report, later, that they are a subsidiary of a British/Dutch publishing firm, who had been protested against to drop all their “military” shows, and who had promised to do so.
They could have easily avoided this by blaming it on miscommunication or a bad decision by a lower level manager. The fact that they did not shows me that this was instigated by top level management.
Pennsylvania Rep. Tom Marino said he was disappointed in the cancellation, and blamed Reed Exhibition's gun ban. "The decision represents yet another attempt to undermine protections guaranteed to all Americans under the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and it restricts the ability for law-abiding citizens to purchase legal firearms that are increasingly being used for hunting in a number of states. I encourage Reed Exhibitions to swiftly reverse its decision and for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to take steps to ensure that all future events of this nature held at the Farm Show Complex are held in a manner that respects the Second Amendment rights of all Pennsylvanians."
RIP, Reed Exhibitions. If the market remains lucrative, companies who are in tune with America will take your place...
"Way to go --nice way to commit business suicide!"
Funny how it takes a high-priced board of directors to make a dumb@%% decision that a 14-year-old can spot instantly...
What exhibitor in their right mind would pour big bucks and expectations into a future Reed show -- knowing full well they very well might make another last-minute decision that could leave you with nothing but expensive losses?
~~~~~~~~
"It's dead, Jim!"
The NRA was one of the last entities to join in - it was started by several Military Style Rifle Manufacturers being rejected by Reed, and then Cabella's and other big names followed suit. As usual, the NRA waited until it determined which way the wind would blow for its decision before taking the plunge. (And I say that as a Life Member - they are consummate politicians!)
Note too -- Reed tries to label the guns as "modern sporting rifles", and calls them MSR later in their excuse. All of the rants we've seen from the misguided sheeple prattling their socialist mentors mention that they are only against the use of Military Style Rifles, not Modern Sporting Rifles. As I understand it, there are no military-designed or built single-bearer weapons that did not start out as a civilian creation.
Thanks for the explanatory comments. All you said sounds very credible to me.
In my opinion, NRA would be more effective without the effort spent annoying members.
ILA is quite another thing.
They do good work. Have been defending our 2nd Amendment for many many years.
Yes, they can be 800 lb. gorillas. Thank God for that.
We the people are the last vanguard to our liberties. The POLs who oppose us should remember we actually do vote. Some do. Others become brazen at times and normally pay dearly for those diversions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.