Well, there's one more reason to avoid gun shows, LOL.
The first is the fact that the promoters and vendors 'preach 2A' 'demand Constitutional carry' yet blather that having attendees disarm or have their lawfully carried firearms 'peace-tied' is 'okay', and 'just a safety issue'. What a crock. Hypocrites, nothing more.
If I don't trust that attendee carrying his law-fully carried loaded firearm 'at the ready' at some dinky gun show, I sure as hell don't trust him carrying that same gun at the grocery story or shopping mall. Or, maybe there's some 'magic stupid juice' that attendees drink when they enter the gun show?
There just might be enough "magic stupid juice" at gun shows to tip those who live on the edge of idiocy over that edge.
Relative to the number of firearms in this country, and the number of people who carry them, I think accidents and negligent handling are pretty rare, overall. My first impression is that there would be a greater likelihood of unintended shootings at gun shows if they allowed people to carry. The ratio of carrying to non-carrying individuals at a gun show is probably much higher than at a grocery store or mall, etc. That in and of itself probably does not significantly increase the likelihood of an accidental or negligent shooting. Add that concentration to an event where some folks may think that they have a good reason to unholster and handle their loaded firearm (try a holster, show it to a dealer for a trade, show it to a friend, etc.) then maybe the number of accidental/negligent shootings inside the venue would increase. I
t might be a wash, though. More handling increases the likelihood of unintended discharge, like making people unload before they go inside. But inside, I think there's a greater likelihood that that bullet will connect with flesh. Unless the person unloading outside shoots themselves (which happened at the 1500).
I can't say for sure, of course. I'd like to see promoters try it for a few years' worth of gun shows and see if there's any significant increase in unintended shootings. I don't think the gun show promoters want to take that risk, and I can't blame them.
Personally, I don't trust everyone at a gun show, because I don't know everyone at a gun show. Most are complete strangers. I don't distrust the attendees, either (for the same reason), and I believe that most attendees are probably trustworthy (when it comes to gun safety), even if I don't know them. If promoters let people carry their loaded side arms in a gun show, I probably wouldn't change the frequency of my attendance. I believe that the risk of being the victim of an unintended shooting would still be relatively small.
I just disagree that the promoters' current policies make them hypocrites.
That place turned DEAD quiet. Walked over that way after the ruckus, he was getting bandaged up by an EMT. Announcer came over the loud speaker to annouce that he was banned from the show.
