This right here is why I will not get involved. All the talk on these forums about standing up and defending our constitutionally protected rights, not giving our money or business to those that don't support us and here you are telling us that we have to pay a yearly fee just to carry a gun as a LAC at this gun show? Thanks but no thanks.
Certainly that is a legitimate perspective and you're entitled to hold that point of view. I will not fault you for doing so. However, you will not find any gun shows that do not restrict carry by bylaws or policy. This includes the largest gun show in the world, the SHOT show. The view that they don't support us is simply not true, there are other factors that govern these decisions.
As to payment, I look at it this way. I could go see 4 movies a year and give money to some anti-gun actor or I can spend the same amount of money and go to 24 gun shows and just browse the day away. I'd rather do the later then the former. Lot's of cool stuff to look at, even if I never buy. Of course there are good deals and bad deals at the show and the more you attend the more you can ferret out these jewels.
As to why I go, it is because I am involved and I do stand up and defend our rights. I am not sure if I have ever met you, but hope that you do the same in the manner that you see fit. If you want to preach to the sinners, you have to go where the sinners are. Gun shows and casual gun owners are the sinners! Some are so out of touch with our rights that I am always amazed when I attend the WAC show and talk to them. Fortunately, with some polite conversations many gun owners that are ignorant to our rights "get it", while many don't. I am trying to change one mind at a time... humbly it is all I can do. I think that the guys that work the OCDO table over the years have changed the minds, hearts and souls of gun owners who would trade liberty for safety. A big shout out to TriggerDr, SpyderTattoo, Bill Starks, Deros and others that have worked the table and made a difference.
The people of OCDO do more to protect rights than the average gun owner, hunter, shooter than any other body of people I can recall. Rallies of 3000 in Olympia, organizing BBQs, testifying at city council meetings and in Olympia. Often times I only see people from this forum showing up to fight for our rights. If we did so only in the venues that we thought were pure then we simply would not reach everyone we could. I for one will leave no stone unturned in this battle for our rights. I do not want to see a civil war, I want to win in the hearts and minds of every American and every Washingtonian. I see no better place to start then the states largest gun show. And now is the time many new attendees are going. They are flocking to gun shows in record numbers. I hope that you don't fault those of us that do go for preaching to the sinners. If not us, who? If not now, when?
As to the question of why carry is not allowed at WAC, I will leave that to the WAC themselves: (I take no position as to the validity of their stance or whether I agree or not)
Clinton Anderson asks "Why is it that lawfully licensed citizens can not conceal carry at a gun show? Gun shows have vendors advocating getting your concealed carry license in numerous states, the NRA has a spot to try and get you to join. The whole event is about our Constitutional Right to bear arms. Is this because of a requirement by the property owner or insurance company? Just wondering why?"
This question comes up frequently and often with far more hostility. The organizer policy of barring loaded firearms from gun shows is pretty much universal to gun shows in Washington (I studied this once) and I strongly suspect elsewhere - and organizers usually have several reasons for putting it into place.
1) Reducing the chance of injury or death to persons or damage to property. Nothing in this world is safe - the best anyone ever gets is "safer."
2) Liability. Insurance is really neat stuff, but it's not a charity. Claims and lawsuits tend to drive up liability insurance rates something fierce, an expensive thing that lasts for *years.*
3) Property owner requirements *do* kick in at some venues as either spoken or unspoken requirements. Renting to a gun show organizer frightens off or offends many venues to begin with - getting into a hissing match over this avoidable point when (1) and (2) are already in play would be rather counterproductive. When was the last gun show at the Seattle Center, again?
4) I have not heard of an insurance company requiring such a policy, but I would be entirely unsurprised at such. Insurance companies are in the business of *risk management* after all.
5) See (1). Given the occurrence of negligent discharges at events around the nation most prudent show organizers have recognized that in the presence of unusually large numbers of individuals handling firearms with which they are often unfamiliar in a crowded environment with the frequent (and foolish) assumption said guns are unloaded....that throwing randomly loaded firearms into the mix may be seriously ill-advised. Anyone recognize "Hey Bob! Let me show you my cool new carry piece!" followed by a sudden loud noise...in a crowd?
We can police ourselves...or be policed.
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