I went to my first gun show in a couple of years today. The reason its been a couple of years is that the last one I went to left a lot to be desired as well. The gun show is definitely a bastion of the American gun culture. Unfortunately, it seems as if it has begun to reflect The larger American culture a bit too much. Lots of cheap guns, cheap gear, worn out surplus, cheap jewelry, the obligatory jerkey stand, a couple of crowd drawing Class III guns and lots of knock off products. I think the unifying theme is “cheap.” Aside from the low quality offerings there were plenty of counterfeits available as well. I saw loads of look-alike optics and lasers that were marked as the real thing, at less-than-possible prices. Naturally, there were also products obviously manufactured for, and marked as airsoft, being sold alongside the real thing just hoping to draw a huckster in looking to save a buck. I know a lot of airsoft enthusiasts get their necks all out of joint when I talk about it but it is the elephant in the room. So long as someone builds a realistic facsimile of a desirable item, someone else is going to try and pass it off as the real thing. Diamonds, Gold, Airplane Parts or Gun Accessories, no one wants to buy a fake.
I’d love to be able to show pics of what I am talking about, but thanks the main stream media shooting undercover videos of attempts to circumvent laws not a gun show in America will let you take photos. Understood.
For the average user, many of these low cost/quality products will be just fine. A trip to the range once a year to show off that pimped out black rifle won’t test the limits of many knockoffs. But, if you are an armed professional, don’t compromise. Make sure you are purchasing quality no matter where you are shopping. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to work.
Unfortunately, it seems the gun show has become nothing more than a variant of a weekend flea market.
We’d love to hear your gun show stories. And, let’s not forget the comments you hear at a gun show. Some of them are priceless. Why don’t you share them in the comments section?
