I believe it's knee jerk reaction and also one step closer to ending our Second Amendment rights and making us SUBJECTS instead of citizens.

Mike, are you staying home? Keith how about you?

Ed, I maybe there only Monday. Returning from the wild sheep convention Reno on Sunday.

Mike

I am suprised Mike, I will not be there unless Reed changes the show policy. We have to do more for the 2nd Ammendment than just give lip service. Yes I will miss seeing some friends but I am sure they will understand., of course maybe most of them won't be there also.

Guys,

Brandon and I are reconsidering our decision to attend. I think they just got up in the stupidity of the political climate and made a dumb management decision. There is still time to fix it, apologize and save some face. Below is an email I just sent to their corporate office.

Like Ed says if we do not go it will break a 30 year tradition for me and while the show never really had many guns as a percentage of overall vendors, we will miss some of the other outdoor related vendors and friends that we met every year.

To complicate the decision the NSSF and NRA are apparently not recommending a boycott. While their logic does make some sense it will be a hard decision. Perhaps they will reconsider, lick their wounds and move on.


NSSF Statement

NRA Statement



Paul


Email sent to Reed Exhibitions

Amy Fischer
Vice President, Strategic Marketing
Tel: +1 203 840 5374
Email: afischer@reedexpo.com

Dear Ms Fischer

As a former exhibitor and more importantly 30 year attendee of the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, I am writing to your organization to express my concern, disappointment, and disillusionment with your corporate decision to ban certain types of firearms for display by vendors at the upcoming show. Perhaps your executive team made this decision in some haste due to the current political climate in the US and felt that it was the proper course of action. It is my hope that on further reflection your team reconsiders this decision and recognizes that there is still time to reverse it and course correct with your vendors. I understand that sometimes organizations act in haste due to political and media pressure, but if you recognize that well over 80% of the attendees are law abiding, legitimate firearms owners who have an interest in all modern sporting firearms, you will retract the ban and thereby ensure a successful show.

In the event that you do not rescind the decision, I will unfortunately have to reevaluate my plans to attend the show this year and more importantly communicate this decision to my family and friends as well as expressing my opinion on many of the firearms and outdoor related Web sites that I frequent.

I urge you to reconsider the ban, notify your vendors, and move on from this misstep.
Thank You,

Respectfully
Paul Reed

the sad thing is that even if they change their minds, it doesn't effect the stupidity of the original decision

Paul, I read the NRA statement it is saddens me to see the NRA using their volunteers time at the show. I guess they think is is better to be on the inside spreading the word. For me as a potential attendee of the show the only way I can show my displeasure is to stay away. Believe me it is harder to stay away than to go and make an excuse for my self. Good email.

Ed

I have been thinking of exhibiting at this show for a few years. This year I was finally going to pull the pin and have a booth. I had talking with them as they had a few open still. It was going to run me about 6 grand to have the booth, travel, meals and hotel. Then I see this BS this weekend and am so glad I hadn't sent the contract in yet.
So last night I posted on the facebook page for the Eastern outdoors and Sports show, that if anyone was planning to go to the looking for an elk hunt and now are boycotting the show, I would offer them 500.00 off the price of the hunt if they sent me a screen shot of their response on the page. The normal price of my hunts is 4k per hunter. My normal Show Price is 3600.00. Minus 500.00 is now 3100.00 .
I just had a guy take me up on it and booked a trip this morning. I was going to spend 6k on the show , so now i figured I would spend it on people that are willing to take a stand for the 2nd Amendment!!!!

Trent Cole, Philadelphis Eagles defensive end, avid hunter, and celebrity of his own hunting show is not attending.

Thread

I feel bad for the outfitters that don't really have a choice in the matter they are screwed. There were over 60 Africa related outfitters there last year I wonder if Reed Expos will try and raise prices on them this year.
I will be there most of the time helping our Namibian family, expecting the worst.

OFFICIAL SHOCKEY STATEMENT REGARDING ESOS:

Due to recent decisions made by Reed Exhibitions regarding the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, Jim and Eva Shockey will not attend this year’s event. We have carefully considered the feelings of our fans, customers and business partners in making this decision. We will miss seeing all of our friends who visit us in Harrisburg each year.
Thank you for your support and understanding.

- Team Shockey


Here is a list of vendors and celebrities not going to the Harrisburg show because of the gun ban.
Please add to the list if you hear about more not attending.
Cabelas
M Waddell + entourage
Blaine Anthony
Boondock Outdoors
Trop Gun Shop
DuckWater Boats Dover Ohio
Lancaster Archery Supply
Nature Blinds, LLC
Whitetail Bosses
Domari Nolo Defense Consulting
Wired Outdoors
Atlantic Tactical
Direct Action Tactical Firearms
Cutting Edge Bullets
Dead Ringer
Kinsey's Outdoors
Open Season TV
X- Stand Treestands
HookHunt
Full Circle Outdoors
Hunters and Guides Connection
Alaska's Ravencroft Lodge
Cross Canyon Arms
Fred Eichler - Fulldraw Outfitters
Ralph & Vicki Cianciarulo - Archers Choice Media
Zook Cabins
Warmbag
Mountain Dog Chews
Dominator 365
Midwest Whitetail Adventures
Arrowhead outdoors
My Northeast Outdoors
CanCooker
Northern Hideaway Outfitters
2 Million Bullets
Firearms Industry Consulting Group
Keystone Country Store

quote:

It is my hope that on further reflection your team reconsiders this decision and recognizes that there is still time to reverse it and course correct with your vendors.

The problem is that once you've sold your soul, there is no getting it back. Mistake or not, some things can't be undone. The fact that they were willing to throw away our 2nd amendment rights in the first place will put a bad taste in people's mouth for quite some time. Don't think a retraction at this point would help. Some may see it that the backlash has cost them money\support (both now and in the future) and they are trying to rectify that situation and minimize the fallout. I know I still would not go. A change of corporate personnel and decision makers at this point is what is needed...a cleansing per se.

I went over to Cabelas Hamburg last night. After making a sizeable purchase, I hunted up the manager on duty. I thanked him for deciding not to participate in the Show, and shook his hand. He seemed appreciative for the response they are receiving.
Bfly

Since the thread is about Cabela's Boycott I will start by saying I support Cabela's 100% in their decision.

But I do question how Reed Exhibitions can just come away from putting on the SHOT Show and make this decision.

Am I the only one who sees this inconsistency? Is it regional or what?

quote:

Originally posted by hunteratheart:
The problem is that once you've sold your soul, there is no getting it back. Mistake or not, some things can't be undone. The fact that they were willing to throw away our 2nd amendment rights in the first place will put a bad taste in people's mouth for quite some time. Don't think a retraction at this point would help. Some may see it that the backlash has cost them money\support (both now and in the future) and they are trying to rectify that situation and minimize the fallout. I know I still would not go. A change of corporate personnel and decision makers at this point is what is needed...a cleansing per se.

You mean you cant apologize and get back your following? You cant change your mind and go straight? Better not tell that to all the pro athletes and the Hollywood crowd. We let them do it all the time.

Reed will not likely be affected by this at all, exhibitors are all prepaid by now.

The only ones you are hurting by not going are the exhibitors that are locked in, trying to salvage something out of their expense. It's not so easy to walk away from a years worth of income.

But do what you've got to do. For me, I'm going.

Turnbull Manufacturing and Jim and Eva Shockey have announced on their respective Facebook pages that they are not attending.

quote:

Originally posted by jjbull:
Since the thread is about Cabela's Boycott I will start by saying I support Cabela's 100% in their decision.

But I do question how Reed Exhibitions can just come away from putting on the SHOT Show and make this decision.

Am I the only one who sees this inconsistency? Is it regional or what?

Someone should let them know unless they categorically change this stupid policy, there won't be many at the SHOT show next year!

quote:

As a hunting-focused event, we welcome exhibitors who wish to showcase products and firearms that serve the traditional needs of the sport. Clearly, we strongly support the 2nd Amendment. However, this year we have made the decision 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.

I cannot wrap my brain around this. It is a hunting and fishing show, the only people who could be offended by "Assault Rifles" would be the PETA protesters outside.

Gutless move by Reed. Bravo to the boycott!

Reed does a lot of "Industry" shows like the shot show which is basically more for the industry than the consumer. This show is only for the consumer and this is where I see the difference. I agree many of the vendors will be hurt by reduced attendence but this will carry forward and some vendors will say no next year. Remember this is a war not just a skirmish. The message we send today will hopefully be remembered in the future.

Heard that this was caused by one exhibitor that was planning some sort of "black gun" demonstration to inflame the crowd and attract the press.

Only the exhibitors are being hurt by any " boycott"!

Ruger OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And S&W.....

I just read on another site that the Outdoor Channel pulled out as one of the major sponsors leaving only Comcast and Progressive. NWTF is also not attending.

Ed,

I am not going due to this. Gonna send my $12 to the NRA/ILA.
One company to watch would be BassPro
The show manager, Chris O' Hara is a former Bass Pro executive. After being there all nine days for seven years this does not surprise me. They made several confounding decisions over the years.

I sure they are on for a big surprise. But I know for fact no one will ever know how much effect a boycott will have on them
Attendance figures are their most guarded information.

Keith

Keith, they will know. I appreciate your stance.

Gentlemen,
Although I do not live in your area, I must applaud your decision. As was said above, this is an all-out war for our rights. If we support those financially that do not support us philosophically, we are waving the white flag.
Max

http://www.newjerseyhunter.com/article143446-25.htm
Over 200 vendors have dropped out.

quote:

Originally posted by prof242:
Gentlemen,
Although I do not live in your area, I must applaud your decision. As was said above, this is an all-out war for our rights. If we support those financially that do not support us in philosiphically, we are waving the white flag.
Max

amen to that Max. and i just love how the snowball keeps getting bigger as it roll downhill- eventually to crash on Reed Productions and their idiotic decision!

RMEF and apparently the NRA has a change of mind and are staying home. Maybe the local vol. would not go. Maybe this show of support of the 2nd ammendment will spread. Pa may be in the "Northeast" but we will show we stand by our guns and bibles. The last statement is to para phrase someone we all know and dislike.

wonder if jim zumbro will be there?

Thought the same thing Butch.

Savage firearms also withdrew from the exhibit.

Mike

Here is a list of vendors who have dropepd out:

http://mynortheastoutdoors.com...-boycott-supporters/

That list is updated daily.

To address Saeed's question as to "why" in a little more detail, there is a huge push in the US now for gun control. And, finally, there is a huge push back against it.

Gun control proponents were quick to take the murders at Sandy Hook as their opportunity to use public opinion in the US to disarm the American public. Not all at once, but in a death of a thousand cuts.

These same progressives (the new communism), would never even think of banning cars to prevent drunk driving here in the US. You can't blame the tool there. And they conveniently ignore the link between most if not all shooters in these mass shooting events and psychiatric/psychotropic drugs, which are rampantly prescribed here in the US for young adults. Despite the fact that the FDA testing on these drugs did not include the under 25 age group, and despite the fact that all of these drugs contain the FDA"s most serious "black box" warning.

After all, big pharmaceutical companies spend tens of millions of dollars each year lobbying Congress, and spend tens of millions of dollars every year in the form of campaign contributions. A little known fact herein the US is that when a member of Congress retires or is voted out of office, what is left in their campaign funds becomes their personal money.

So before the young bodies were cold at Sandy Hook, progressives launched into their attacks on our Second Amendment. Hell, we even have a Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Ginsberg, who claims our Second Amendment is an anacronism and that our Constitution needs to be "modernized" - and she uses South Africa's Constitution as the shining model for the new era.

Those of us who support our Second Amendment abided by a self imposed mourning period after the trajedy, but the progressives did not. Less than 24 hours after the trajedy, drafts of bills pushing serious gun control measures were published.

The battle lines have been pretty mush drawn, and sides have started to solidify.

One tactic used in the past (as with the Assault Weapons bans in 1994) was to split hunters out of the Pro Second Amendment pack. You will hear statements like you don't need 30 shots to go deer hunting, even though the Second Amendment had nothing to do with hunting.

In the past, it worked well enough to split the hunting community up - some hunters openly villified "black rifles" and high capacity magazines.

So what the Show's organizer was trying to do was to capitalize on that past split. The organizer, Reed, by the way, is a British company. And are now bloody shocked to see the colonialists once again in a rather nasty stir.

Hunters know full well where further gun control will go. As Martin Niemöller stated long ago:

quote:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

This push for gun control is not really about guns; it is about control. The Second Amendment is the last significant roadblock to a total gutting of out Bill of Rights. And our liberal brethern do not seem to understand that as the Second amendment goes, so goes our Bill of Rights. Any limitation or restriction on any one right can be equally imposed and applied on all other rights.

The "progressive" movement wants to move to a communist model. (You know its bad when Pravda starts mocking the current administration as communism on steriods). But to achieve their socialist nirvana, they need to first disarm their citizens.

From my local taxidermist, Wes Good, who I will be sure to visit in Lancaster!

quote:

From: Wildlife Studios
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 11:06 AM
Subject: Update regarding the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show

Due to recent decisions by Reed Exhibitions regarding the disallowing of legal modern sporting rifles, Wildlife Studios Premier Taxidermy will withdraw as an exhibitor from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show.

This was a difficult decision, not only because of the substantial financial investment we have made to reserve our booth space, but also because we won’t have the opportunity to talk with so many of our customers that we have come to know through the show.

We cannot support a show that doesn’t completely support our constitution and the rights of our law-abiding customers to purchase these legal firearms.

Please be sure to visit us at the Eastern Wild Sheep Hunting Expo February 15-17 in Lancaster, PA. http://www.huntingandoutdoorexpo.com/

Thank-you,

----------------
Wes Good
President
Wildlife Studios, LLC
46 Frystown Road
Myerstown, PA 17067
717-933-4828
wes@wildlifestudios.com
http://wildlifestudios.com/

The response from the Show to a reporter last week:

quote:

Ed Several, general manager of the show, said the decision will impact five exhibitors out of the more than 1200 registered for the 2013 show, and speculated that two of the five likely will not be exhibiting because of the decision.

Although Reed had planned to feature the growing tactical area of the show in a news release in advance of the show this year, Several said, "it really wasn't a big part of the show."

"We're not making any statement," he explained. "We're just simply saying let's not create a distraction this year. We didn't want this to be a distraction. We wanted to address it and move on...

Several said the decision covers "just this year. Take a break for a year."

He noted that the discussion that led to the decision was internal to the Reed organization and "was not driven by any external groups."

Not too big of a deal to them since only "five" exhibitors were impacted. Well that number is now over 200 and rising. I guess it did not occur to them that while only five exhibitors were impacted by their decision, hunters believed that 100% of hunters would be impacted.

"Modern rifles" are just that - modern rifles. The AR platform is over 50 years old, by the way. But some are black, and some have bayonet lugs to allow for mass bayonet charges by crazed sportsmen. And those thumbhole stocks - allows the shooter to gain additional advantage by having his or her thumb clear to use as an additional killing tool. Thumbed to death. Chilling.

If they made this decision after they collected deposits from their exhibitors, expect the exhibitor lawsuits to start flying to reclaim their deposits.

I too decided to go to the Eastern Chapter of WSF. Took the extra money left over from not exhibiting at Harrisburg and booked a Booth this morning at the Minnesota Deer Classic on March 8th to the 10th. Bill C stop by and say Hi at the sheep show ,first beer is on me!! ( that goes for any other AR members also)

I cant beleive Reed has made no comment since reference this screw up (wholey on there part)
Tony Piscopo
Continental Divide Outfitters
MOntana

Lee and Tiffany Lakosky are also out. I'm not a fan of theirs, but they have a huge following with serious whitetail deer hunters in the US and Canada.

The Eastern Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation pulled out of the show.

Mike

I too am wondering about the SHOTSHOW vs this show. I support the boycott if it was not made for some dumbass pc ideal. Although at his point I don't support the organizer, I might if given all the facts. Now there is a whole lot we do not know. Who was this one outfitter and what was going to be so outrageous as to cause this reaction? Second, why not just dump this one outfitter? I believe that the Reed organization made a poor choice but something still does not add up. I think they were afraid of many things including panic in the crowd, perhaps someone getting hurt, and last and most important in the business world, getting sued! Why is it anytime there is a situation like this everyone dances around the truth? They are afraid of bad press and lawsuits. It would be better for all involved to lay it all out fact for fact with no spin or emotional bullshit. Then let us make up our minds. Damage control as well as lost $ for everyone could be avoided. Give us the facts. All the facts! We are not stupid people. I would bet that if all the issue was laid out and explained from the beginning most of this would have been avoided. But...maybe things happen for a reason and this is the wake up call many in our ranks needed. There is a war coming like it or not. the assault on the Constitution has already started. That's why they do these deals in the middle of the night with no public input. How can this be you say? They used little known rules not intended for this so they could bypass all the normal legislative processes. They knew if they didn't there was no way they could ram this through. It is time to shine a very bright light on all of these cock roaches and their methods. Nothing like the bright lights of the truth to make them scatter.

I am sorry I will get off my soap box now. I just feel so strongly about all of our rights under the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

I still don't think we have the entire story on this and think it would shed a great light upon it.
Mike