Posted on 01/22/2013 5:36:06 PM PST by Second Amendment First
On Tuesday afternoon, The Sportsman's Shop in New Holland was the last major gun dealer from Lancaster County still scheduled to attend the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg.
On Tuesday evening, owner Joe Keffer pulled the plug.
"As a member of the Board of Governors of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, I have been working, in good faith, with Reed to find a compromise to allow the show to continue at the caliber to which my fellow exhibitors, manufacturers and the more than 200,000 attendees have come to expect," Keffer wrote on the store's Facebook page.
"After nearly a month of discussions, which concluded (Monday), I believe a compromise will not be reached."
The Sportsman's Shop joins a growing list of nearly 200 exhibitors and celebrities who have backed out of the show, scheduled for Feb. 2-10 at the State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, since organizer Reed Exhibitions last week announced a ban prohibiting assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines from being sold or even displayed at the show.
Reed said the decision was made "not to include certain products that in the current climate may attract negative attention that would distract from the strong focus on hunting and fishing at this family-oriented event and possibly disrupt the broader positive experience of our guests."
Reed officials said there were five firearms retailers affected by the gun ban — retailers who planned to sell semiautomatic AR-style rifles at the show. Three of those are from Lancaster County — Trop Gun Shop in Elizabethtown, Kinsey's Outdoors in Mount Joy and The Sportsman's Shop.
Trop and Kinsey's both backed out last week.
The Sportsman's Shop was set to be the featured exhibitor of a popular section of the show called The Sportsman's Shop's Gun Alley, which included 14 firearms and accessories manufacturers.
According to Keffer, when he backed out of the show all 14 of those other exhibitors left with him. That list includes gunmakers Smith & Wesson, Thompson/Center, Ruger, Benelli, Franchi and Stoeger.
"This was the hardest decision I've ever had to make in business," Keffer said. "I tried to get this thing turned around and it just didn't happen."
Keffer denounced Reed's ban the day it was announced, but he stayed in the show as an exhibitor, he said, while working to convince Reed officials to change their minds.
"As of (Monday) afternoon, as far as I was concerned, the door was slammed," he said.
Reed officials did not immediately return a reporter's phone calls for comment Tuesday.
According to Keffer, when he backed out of the show all 14 of those other exhibitors left with him. That list includes gunmakers Smith & Wesson, Thompson/Center, Ruger, Benelli, Franchi and Stoeger.
Way to go, Pa. bitter clingers!
Yah, that would be .223
Hmmm. Maybe the Bitter Clingers party can join the Tea Party and get something done!
Gun people don’t like being double-crossed for political reasons and we have long memories. I still won’t buy a new Ruger firearm because of Bill Ruger’s support of the 1994 gun ban.
Sorry...
So, who’s the new sponsor? When is new show going to take place?
How many AR-15s would you have to sell to make a profit after paying the $7,000.00 for a booth?
who is Reed’s boss?
at current panic inflation prices? three perhaps two if they are reaaaaaaly nice.
how many politicians are paying attention to this?
the beltway only reads the NYT and watches msnbc and cnn.
“who is Reed’s boss?”
Probably Queen Elizabeth or David Cameron. Reed’s Exhibitions is a Brit company, or so I have been lead to believe.
“How many AR-15s would you have to sell to make a profit after paying the $7,000.00 for a booth?”
Probably 7 at today’s prices.
and the line still holds. FUBO.
Now Reed needs to by hit with a class action for breech of contract.
They created an arbitrary requirement after taking the money. They should get sued for costs and damages.
Reed Elseivier, huge multi-national headquartered in London and Amsterdam. Basic business was publishing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Elsevier
Now if Gun Manufacturers would get together for their very survival and immediately Halt ALL SALES to New York, California, and Any other State that Wants Strict Gun Control, help them out STOP SELLING TO THOSE STATES ENTIRELY. Actually I am surprised they haven’t done it yet.
Mr. Mike Rusbridge serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Reed Exhibitions Ltd., a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier Group Plc and Reed Business Information, Inc. Mr. Rusbridge joined the industry in 1979 and served as Managing Director of Cahners Exhibitions Ltd (part of Reed Elsevier) since 1982, Chief Executive for Reed Exhibitions Europe since 1988 and President for Reed Exhibitions Europe and Asia since 1994. He has been Chairman of Reed Exhibitions World wide of Reed Business Information Ltd. since 1996. He serves as Member of Executive Council of Reed Elsevier Group PLC.
Bill Ruger is D E A D.
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.