TexasCHLforum.com

Hello,

I've never been to a gun show. Is the one at George R Brown this weekend (Feb 16-17) a good one to attend ($8 entry)?

thanks
Harold

I've been twice and plan on going again. The generally have a good selection of hand guns and rifles. I purchased some ammo there in Jan and picked up 2 extra clips for my Sig P200 .45 acp. I'm probably going to do the same this time around too, but may pick up another .45 if the price is right.

JR

If you have never been to a gun show it will be worth the trip. I like this one and the one at the Pasadena Fairgrounds. Gun Shows seem to be the most economical place to purchase firearms and ammo. I have always had good experiences with the dealers I have traded with at any of the local Houston shows.
I will be there this weekend for sure. Maybe even both days.

My wife and I enjoy visiting the gun shows. We have been to many. Some are very good and a few were not worth the money to get in but it is something we enjoy. Go to a few and see if you enjoy them.

SkipB wrote:My wife and I enjoy visiting the gun shows. We have been to many. Some are very good and a few were not worth the money to get in but it is something we enjoy. Go to a few and see if you enjoy them.

What is the parking situation downtown?

Is the show posted?

Thnx

Paid parking lots surround the George R Brown, parking costs between $5 and 10, depending on which lot.

The show is posted, with Houston PD officers there to check your weapon(s) and put a tie-wrap/zip-tie through the action.

Just park on the street and pay like $1.

If you have never been to a gun show, one warning: DO NOT BUY ANYTHING IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE ANY RESEARCH - absolutely no impulse buy.

In my experience - been to those shows in the past 5-6 years, gun prices are decent from vendors like Shramm, Buchman, AJC Sports and The Gun Zone. Most handguns have excellent price, but rifles, maybe, maybe not. All my past two years purchase have been done online.

I have never bought any ammo from gun show as they are rip-offs period. Don't buy any electronic devices/scope etc. If you want them, I can probably get them cheaper for you from MidwayUSA.

LarryH wrote:The show is posted, with Houston PD officers there to check your weapon(s) and put a tie-wrap/zip-tie through the action.

Thanks for the warning. I would hate to drive into Houston on a weekend for nothing.

LarryH wrote:Paid parking lots surround the George R Brown, parking costs between $5 and 10, depending on which lot.

The show is posted, with Houston PD officers there to check your weapon(s) and put a tie-wrap/zip-tie through the action.

Ok, I'm unclear on that. If it's posted, is that a 30.06, and is it a valid 30.06? If they're zip-tie-ing your weapon, at what point do you unconceal to give it to them to do that to while in the show? I'm not crazy about walking around outside in the parking lots unarmed, so I don't mind it being zipped while inside but I'd prefer to have it outside as normal.

I don't think you unconceal on the way in and conceal on the way out? Or do you carry it in a gun case and take some wire cutters with you so you can untie it on the way out to your car?

I know the question sounds stupid, I just want to know. I've been to gun shows before, but not as a CHL holder or an armed CHL holder (back when I hardly carried).

Daytime, around the GRB, or the Reliant Center or the Pasadena Convention Center, I'm not worried about going unarmed for the walk from/to the parking lot. We normally get there early enough to park fairly (relatively speaking) close to the building entrance.

Whether it's enforceable has been debated hotly both ways. Regardless, IMHO, it's probably a case of "you might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride."

I haven't asked the HPD what their action would be if someone had come in concealed, locked and loaded. However, last month, my wife was asked to leave her loaded magazines with the officers and got them back when we left. The LEO will also snip the zip-tie when you leave. She then reloaded as soon as we were out the door.

YMMV.

MBGuy, if you plan on having your carry gun tied, do the unload out of sight of the officers before you enter, because they also don't want loose ammunition inside. You will most likely either have to lie about having the ammunition on you or throw it away prior to entering.

All of this gun handling is a major reason that I believe in carrying while at the show and keeping my mouth shut.

That said, I'm not recommending it. I know I have enough discipline not to remove my carry from my pocket for any reason short of an emergency. You can't take it out when you are buying accessories for it or striking up a conversation and want to 'show and tell'.

The 30.06 signs are correct in detail, but in the opinion of many, unenforceable because GRB is city owned.

A few months back, as I was approaching the entrance, I met a couple of HPD officers with a citizen under arrest. When I entered, I asked the officer what had happened. The answer was to the point of 'he wanted to argue'. Maybe, like frankie wants us to do, he tried to 'persuade' the officers at the door that it was legal for him to carry inside the show. Maybe it was something totally unrelated.

If your gun is truly concealed and you leave it alone while in the show, you should not expect to be bothered.

Otherwise, leave it in your vehicle or have it tied, at which point you will have to deal with the ammo.

LarryH wrote:Daytime, around the GRB, or the Reliant Center or the Pasadena Convention Center, I'm not worried about going unarmed for the walk from/to the parking lot. We normally get there early enough to park fairly (relatively speaking) close to the building entrance.

I'm not worried. If I was worried I would ignore the sign and carry. Concealed is concealed.

Instead, I will respect their sign and spend my money somewhere else.

aardwolf wrote:Instead, I will respect their sign and spend my money somewhere else.

I think this is a different situation than normal merchants or movie theatres.

There's probably not a vendor in the building that supports the posting.

I truly believe that the only reason for the sign is to obtain the required insurance.

Boycotting has no effect on anything here.

The vendors have better deals that almost any of our local dealers and you certainly see a wider selection of merchandise than you will anywhere else.

In this case, you're only hurting yourself trying to make a point with the insurance provider, who couldn't care less.

Carry or not, I don't see 'not going' as any option at all.

But that's just me.

Last time I went to a gun show, most prices were higher than online. I was thinking of picking up another handgun but I can probably get as good a deal on a FTF sale here or another forum. It's fun to window shop and make an impulse buy of a new gun but I don't see many real deals at shows anymore since the BATFE shut down the hobbyists. As long as they have the policy they get treated the same as AMC by me. YMMV.