For supporters of the Second Amendment that has unfortunately included its gun control efforts.
California has some of the most restrictive firearms laws in the United States, and some communities have passed ordinances that make even legally owning a firearm difficult. The Golden State was first to adopt a ban on so-called assault weapons in 1989, which led to the 1994 assault weapon ban (AWB) nationwide. Just a few years later Los Angeles County banned the sale of firearms on county property – essentially killing the Great Western Gun Show, which had been the largest gun show in the country.
1984.
ReplyDeletePomona Fairgrounds, Riverside, California.
Three days, and we barely saw every table.
Magnificent!
.
1970-98
Cal-Expo fairgrounds in Sacramento was similar size.
After living in Oregon for decades, I went to the Sacramento show about ten years ago.
Uniformed state police out-numbered vendors.
And most of the twenty or so vendors offered flea-market filler no respecting shooter would be caught dead owning.
Macrame dolls.
Sage peace-pipes.
Junk-yard reject old car parts.
Fudge.
I loved the 49er Gun Shows at Cal-Expo back in the 80s. I quit going after I got married in 1991, then went back in the mid to late 90s. It sucked.
DeleteCrossroads of the west gun show in Phoenix AZ *used* to fill up 3-4 of the livestock 'barns' on the fairgrounds, and was typically broken up between the buildings based on interest. (One building would be split between rifles and shotguns, and old milsurp guns, while the next would be mostly handguns or home defense shotgun/carbines. One of the buildings was always split between ammo dealers and magazines/spare parts/accessories.)
ReplyDeleteThen the idiots in charge of the fairgrounds started raising the rent for a table, and limited what "they would allow to be sold" to fight "white supremacists" (basically claiming that since some dealers sold militaria, that *obviously* neonazis were crawling out of the wood work, therefore *anything* related to WW2 including but not limited to guns/bayonets/uniforms/equipment/ect was banned from sale. Then they just kept adding shit.)
Now? It is down to *one* building that is like a shitty flea market with everything from cheap shitty perfume to freaking banzai trees, but only a couple of gun dealers. Also pretty much *every* dealer there now plays the "I know what I have! No lowballing asshole!" Card, and is pulling shit like selling $289 Ruger 10/22 rifles for $550, and acting like having such a 'low' price is something they should be thanked for. Fuckers.