SHOT Show Report : Short & Sweet, Lots Of Guns, No Answers On Rights

Arizona –  -(Ammoland.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation cannot get enough praise for representing the firearms industry, a crucial American business sector, and staging the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show every year.

They celebrated their 40th consecutive year this year, with exhibits stretching for 12.5 miles of aisles. You could see every booth if you spent 22 seconds at each. It defies description, and you can only see it if you’re actually in the business, it’s not a public show like the NRA Show.

It also differs with 2,500 members of the trade press (like me) and extensive sections for law enforcement and international pavilions. I can save time and skip miles of outdoor clothing, wish I had more time for miles of gun manufacturing gear, and can’t get enough fab coffee in the palatial press office with non-stop contacts and info.

Let me clue you in with some bullet points.

HB 38, the national carry bill

Learned: though it made it through the House, got a lot of attention, but may not be the bill that moves. When (if?) the Senate moves its version of a reciprocity bill (S 446), it’s the better bill (one page vs. almost nine). It’s clean (without some fix NICS problems and the federalized gun-free zones I wrote about last time, https://www.gunlaws.com/PageNineIndex.htm.

Gun Confiscations

Almost everyone who was asked about what they would do if a Virgin Islands scenario played out here, and armed agents came to your door to confiscate your guns, people said they would lie, insist they were stolen, or they sold the guns, give up a few and keep the rest, hide them real well, dig a hole, leave ahead of time with them, deny ownership, pretend to be out, deny entry (with no thought of how), demand to see a warrant; basically, no resistance offered….

See the SHOT Show

I considered doing a slide show and commentary as in years past, but NSSF and others do such an amazing job of it, mine is pale by comparison.

Flickr Photo gallery www.flickr.com/photos/shotshow/

In case the official picture shows miss this image, I call it Gort — a new police fashion statement from Damascus Gear:

National Training Week becomes National Training MONTH!

After encouraging colleagues for a long while, to establish a national training period, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has adopted the month of August to encourage people to go to the range, take friends to the range, introduce people to the shooting sports, you know the drill. Not modeled after the groundbreaking National Training Week, where we celebrate Freedom with Fireworks and Firearms during Fourth of July week, the “Let’s Go Shooting” campaign is under development and you’ll be seeing and hearing a lot about it in the months to come. Shootingsportsmonth.org

Fix Fix NICS

No time now, consider this a teaser, a lot could be better, including remedies for bad listings and listers, I’ll spell it out later.

50-State Women’s March on Washington

Plans are underway for one female representative of each state to go to D.C. and meet with legislators about their concerns over the Second Amendment. As we all know, men and women are equal, so the women should get equal treatment when they seek meetings, right? June 19 – 20, lots online for The D.C. Project. www.agirlandagun.org/dc-project/

Alternative Mass Media Convention 9/20/18

Staged just before the Gun Rights Policy Conference, this year at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, TX. www.ammcon.org. In cooperation with The Polite Society Podcast and the Self Defense Radio Network. The Second Amendment Foundation, which stages Gun Rights Policy Conference, is a co-sponsor.

New Gun Safety Rules Issued: No Trigger Control Included!

NSSF has produced a new booklet, Firearms Safety Depends on You, which omits any mention of trigger control in its 10-step “Basics of Safe Gun Handling” list. Because the 2017 copyright notice forbids reproducing any portion of the 20-page booklet — like its safety rules! — without reproducing the whole booklet! I can’t show you the rules NSSF has invented. The list, in its ungrammatical format, also has no explicit provision for keeping a loaded gun ready. This one needs to go back to the drawing board. I can’t be the only person who noticed this. I sure hope they didn’t print too many of these.

The LEO Side Advances

I am well aware the threats our nation, and our incredibly brave defenders face, is monumental and growing. Companies like this one, DamascusGear, packed room after room in the LEO section of the SHOT Show, filled with beefy guys who looked like they could wear gear like this and run ten miles. We need these people.

Damascus Gear Police Gear
Damascus Gear Police Gear

One look in Randy Balko’s book, Rise of the Warrior Cop, or a cursory glance at the growing militarism of the police state gives the average person the shivers. How do we balance these powers? What would you do if people like this showed up at your door, without cause? Who keeps power like this under control? Serpico (which didn’t end when the film did) on steroids, with armor, it’s an eye opener.

Negligent Entrustment

SHOT includes an extensive set of seminars, and no way to attend them all and get anything else done. I attended this one, intrigued by the title, and without going to deeply into an hour of legal thought, FFLs (dealers, not the public) have a duty under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to be careful about giving or selling a firearm to someone who, despite background checks, apparently shouldn’t have one. How do you tell? It’s a little gray. Obvious drunks. People who seem suicidal (that was a fascinating exploration). Straw purchasers (amazing how blatant or stupid some of them are, we heard stories). Yes, there’s much more to it, this is why you attend. How many people will have even read this far?

United State Concealed Carry Association

This educational outfit is a continually growing force in the industry, had a presence and banners that couldn’t be missed, they were splashed all across the main floor, right next to radio row and the primary escalators between the two main show floors. I’ve got to tell you, it’s an honor to write a column for their Concealed Carry Magazine, and to enjoy the company of the staff members I’ve gotten to know.


Alan Korwin
Alan Korwin

About GunLaws.com:
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Bloomfield Press, founded in 1988, is the largest publisher and distributor of gun-law books in the country. Our website, gunlaws.com, features a free national directory to gun laws and relevant contacts in all states and federally, along with our unique line of related books and DVDs. “After Your Shoot” for media review is available on request, call 800-707-4020. Our authors are available for interview, call to schedule. Call for cogent positions on gun issues, informed analysis on proposed laws, talk radio that lights up the switchboard, fact sheets and position papers. As we always say, “It doesn’t make sense to own a gun and not know the rules.” Visit:www.gunlaws.com

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Jambo

Its so predictable, this article had several sections but the cop haters just cant stay away from the police comment…. another opportunity you know. Just keep in mind for every deadly police shooting there are probably 100 officers that had the justification to shoot someone and didn’t.

Darren

Alan, make up your mind. The police are either necessary protectors or dangerous oppressors. They can’t be both at the same time.

My view is that the standing law enforcement establishment is the standing army many Founder warned us about & needs to go.

James Higginbotham

with the damn govt giving them all kinds of MILITARY GEAR everyone KNOWS THEY ARE ITCHING TO USE IT, AND HAVE DONE SO MANY TIMES AND KILLED A LOT OF INNOCENT PEOPLE.
and they are EXACTLY WHAT OUR FOUNDERS WARNED US ABOUT.

Mikial

“basically, no resistance offered….”

So, I suppose the brave author, when faced with an armed SWAT team pointing their ARs at him would immediately draw his 1911 and go out in a blaze of glory. Yeah . . . right. Easy to be a hero from behind a keyboard. Any armed resistance would have to be well planned in advance with a like-minded group like the Bundy Ranch stand off.

Jim

As a former LEO I began seeing the ‘warrior cop’ issue begin to develop among some of our officers returning from Iraq in 1991.

RegT

True story, Jim. I was working for the California Highway Patrol back then (left in 1995 to fly helos), and I was seeing that kind come out of the academy and detailed to the various divisions. I couldn’t tell if it was due to a change in training at the academy, a change in hiring standards/philosophy, or some combination thereof. Whatever the cause, our TOs (traffic officers) started being more law enforcement – any law – than peace keepers, like most of the old school TOs, sergeants, and brass.

Matt in Oklahoma

In partial answer to your militarized law enforcement question. One thing to remember is that though they workout, train and gear up at the end of the day they go home to the typical 2.5 kids, house and deal with the exact same spouse issues, bill struggles and are at the same kids game as yours, same church and same grocery store. Think on that before bashing us as mindless robots that don’t love their country with as much if not more “because I’ve put it in the line for 30 years”. Also those who go to the gym every… Read more »

Charles Valenzuela

So, voicing our opinions makes us your “enemies”, eh? But we shouldn’t be concerned because you are just regular guys, eh? You and your thug pals have no intention of violating anyone’s Constitutional rights, eh? Just regular guys carrying out any illegal orders you are given, with as much aggressive enthusiasm and brutality as you can manage, eh? Just carrying out your orders, eh? Sure, we all believe you.

Dr. Strangelove

Charles: Sounds like you have an ax to grind. I’ve had more interactions with LEO’s than I can count, both as a former drug addict and now as a CDL driver and I’ve found the vast majority of them very competent and professional.

Dave in Fairfax

I’ve got to agree with the good Dr. In over 60 years of dealing with Law Enforcement, varying flavors, I’ve only run into 2 who were anything other than terrific people. One had Wyatt Earp syndrome and I was from out of state-all I got was a bogus ticket. The other enjoyed his authority a bit much, but his subordinate took care of the problem the moment he left the scene. I live in a “diverse” neighborhood and talk to the police on behalf of my neighbors on a frequent basis. Honestly, I look forward to it, and my only… Read more »

Jim

My earlier comment, which still hasn’t been posted, wasn’t bashing, but was drawing attention to a very real issue: dealing effectively with the ‘combat mindset’ that many LEOs that have served in the military in combat roles tend to have. There are no programs in place to effectively return the officer’s minds to that of civilian law enforcement vs that of soldier.

JDC

Amen, Matt. Thanks for what you do for ALL of us…even those who don’t appreciate a policeman…until they need one.

Jeffersonian

Erik Scott, Jose Guerena and Justine Damond could not be reached for comment.

RegT

And those, being fairly well published, are just the tip of the iceberg. The cops, deputy sheriffs, etc. are – for the most part, simply guys and gals trying to do a difficult job. Nonetheless, In the years between when I first became a police officer (1979) and when I left law enforcement (1995), there was a noticeable shift in agenda. I think it was partly the fault of prior experience – like Jim’s mention of the combat mindset of those who served in actual combat – but also due to who got hired, how they were trained, and what… Read more »

Jim

Amen, Brother. I currently teach high school science (s). I buddy up with our SROs as much as possible. While they may look like ‘Robocop’, they interact well with the students. Obama did LEOs zero favors when in office. It will take decades to undo the damage he did. Watch your six, guys.