Gun Shows Ain't What They Used To Be

Above, the 2019 Gallup Gun Show. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A post at the Gun Owners of New Mexico Facebook page brought to mind a topic I've noticed over the past few years.

In years past, going to a gun show was a fun past time where bargains could be easily found. My favorite gun show was the Great Western Gun Show that started out at the Great Western Exhibit Center in the City of Commerce, California in the 70s and early 80s. I started going to it with my parents.

When the exhibit center closed and demolished, the gun show moved to the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona. Even after the move, I went there and found a lot of bargains.

These days, gun show dealers seemed to have lost the "priced to sell" way of doing business. I found that almost everything of any interest to me have been overpriced. One can find better deals at a mom & pop gun store or online currently. I saw a lot of nice stuff at the Winchester Collectors Association gun show in Cody, Wyoming last year, but they were overpriced. Dealers seem to have gotten greedy.

If dealers would sell at reasonable prices, it would benefit the buyer and the dealers would have less merchandise to pack up and lug out after the show ended. I found that overpricing at gun shows is not just confined to California or Wyoming. The same is true in New Mexico as well. I attended a couple of gun shows in Gallup and, again, bargains were hard to find. Maybe that's why the last Gallup Gun Shows were sparsely attended.

How I miss the good ol' days!