Question for vendors at the gun shows....

Starship · Nov 19, 2012

Was wandering around the gun show Sunday and looking at a little bit of everything. Was able to pick up parts, guns, knives etc and really get a good look at them.
I noticed that while the guns were generally cabled together or watched closely most of the other things (especially knives) were just laid out on the tables for everyone to look at.

Question... Do you have much trouble with theft at a gun show?
I realize it's not the best place to take something and especially if you happen to get caught but then not everyone is exactly the smartest hammer in the box. Is there much inventory walking off or (as we all would like to believe) are the folks at the gun show a very honest bunch?

BTW, just curious...

I have helped with garage sales and have caught more than one person trying to walk off with something. Have even had them have their kids take something while they engage someone over something else. Now that's low.

Mark W. · Nov 19, 2012

I have been going to shows since the mid 60's starting as a kid with my dad, Later in the early 80's through the late 90's I was a Custom Knifemaker and attended shows as a seller as many as 10 shows a year in the Oregon/ Washington, and even a few in California. And while I remember a couple of times in all those hundreds of shows a couple of times that firearms were taken. Or that someone had had something missing from their table I would venture to guess the amount of "showlifting" going on to be very very small.

For a few reasons.

Firearms owners tend to be adults, tend to be law abiding people, tend to keep a close eye on their kids when attending shows, and their kids tend to be ones brought up with a sense of morality.

The sellers tend to pay very close attention to their tables, The majority of the stuff in the show is a LONG ways from the exit, the idea of being caught stealing, by a bunch of gun toting crazys is kind of scary.

All that said I am sure that small items walk away from gun shows all the time. But I would guess its at a much lower rate then the local dime store.

Swedish K · Nov 19, 2012

I believe Mark hit the nail on the head. In the years I was doing the Reno show and several others I had very few items go missing - usually small parts like pins, rivets, springs and maybe one mag went missing. I'm fairly sure the mag was swiped by the guy at the next table as he had asked about it and I didn't want to sell it for less than cost. I asked him if he wanted me to get him one in my next order at cost to save him shipping and he declined. I did see one guy get arrested trying to get out with a stolen lower - amazing people don't pay attention to all those cameras in every part of a casino including the convention rooms...
I agree with mark that the vast majority of people going to shows are adult and have a decent set of morals as do their kids if they bring them. The biggest problem we ran into for a few years was oakland gang bangers trying to talk you down on the price then offer you "full cash price" if you ignored the CA ID card and skip the paperwork.

Beefcake · Nov 19, 2012

Gun-lifting happens occassionally. We had a gun stolen off the table last year, and another vendor had 3 pistols stolen at the Hillboro show a couple of months ago (his table was right next to an emergency exit; they grabbed them and ducked out the back door). We have quite a few accessories disappear (mags, holsters, Magpul stuff, etc.).

armedandsafe · Nov 21, 2012

I once "stole" a knife. I admired a knife made by a young fellow just starting out, and commented that it was nice to see somebody making one with a left handed grip. I asked him why he had put it in a right handed sheath.

He said he was not aware that the knife I was hlding was left handed and what made the difference. I showed him my Randall with the left-handed grip and let him hold it. Then I had him lold the one he had made. He understood suddenly what the difference was. He then insisted I take the knife he made for $5.00. I objected that discounting from $55 to $5 was out of line. He insisted. So, I got a "steal."

Friends who have been doing shows for years have never complained to me about thefts.

Pops