David Roberson
New member
Just back in the office after the convention, I offer these comments in hope it will encourage others to share their observations as well. I hope all enjoyed Charlotte -- since I live in the area I can't comment about the impression we made on visitors, but I will remark on other aspects.
RKBA politics -- I was among those participating in the gun rights solidarity march on Saturday morning. It was sponsored by Grass Roots North Carolina, our state's most aggressive and effective pro-gun group, which deserves many thanks from all of us (and another check from me) for doing a fine job for RKBA when the national media spotlight was on Charlotte. Media estimates of the size of our march ranged from 400 to 1,000. (It was definitely closer to 1,000 than to 400.) Neal Knox spoke at a rally to begin the march, and he was surprisingly ineffective as a speaker, even facing a friendly crowd. Our march did not meet with any counter-demonstrations, although we had been warned to expect them. I was told later that three planned anti-gun events were cancelled because of lack of participation. The anti-rights crowd did put together a march late in the afternoon on Saturday, and media estimates put its size at about 200, which I assume means there were about 50 people there.
NRA politics -- I had a chance to talk with our field rep and with James Jay Baker, and told both of them I was pleased the NRA had finally discovered some balls. Both told me they were hearing a lot of the same thing from other members, and they assured me the up-front statements about Clinton and The Evil Al Gore would continue.
S&W traitors -- Outside the convention center on Saturday a guy was passing out bright yellow stickers that advised "Boycott Smith & Wesson." These stickers were quite popular with attendees, and many people wore them. (A good number also somehow got stuck on the front counter at the S&W display.) I got a number of them and had many people inside the convention center ask for some, including two guys at the Hornady booth who promptly put them on. Staffers at the Cabela's and Colt displays also asked for stickers, although they said they'd get in trouble if they wore them on their company logo shirts while at the company booths. The guys at the S&W display were clearly prepared for hostile comments, and made mild responses. We looked at the new Schofield 2000, which was quite nice, but when the guy at the booth suggested that we buy one, my brother observed undiplomatically that he expected S&W to be bankrupt before they could get the gun in production. Other comments by us about the S&W administration were also received noncommitally, although one guy at the booth did admit that sales have declined measurably since the boycott was announced.
Colt cowards -- Colt had a big display showing all possible variants of the three or four guns they still make, and the guys at their booth insisted that the company is still in business, although they wouldn't say how many employees they still have or how many guns they're shipping. I concluded that the company is probably on the ropes and just shy of closing forever.
Other sightings --
Justin Moon was working at the Kahr Arms display, and was quite friendly. We told him that the slide release on the new plastic-framed Kahr sticks out way too far and needs to be smaller, and he nodded politely but didn't make any promises. He also said that Kahr has no plans to make a .45, but that they plan to put a lot of work into upgrading the quality of Auto Ordnance 1911s and increasing the number of models available.
The Rossi booth had an interesting new break-action single-shot handgun on display, and promised delivery at the end of the summer. The Rossi rep said they are no longer importing their Winchester 92 replicas into the U.S. because of fear about liability problems without a crossbolt safety. He did say, however, that Rossi is now manufacturing the Navy Arms 1892 replica, which a guy at the Navy Arms booth confirmed. The Navy Arms version still does not have the crossbolt safety, and neither the Navy Arms nor the Rossi guy could explain how Rossi's lawyers won't let them sell the gun without a crossbolt safety but the Navy Arms lawyers will.
The HK booth display of current products still included the USP-Tactical, which was supposed to have been discontinued. No explanation of what that means.
An encouraging new gun is a .22 semi-auto rifle from Thompson Center. It's a handsome firearm with all-steel receiver, and it felt great in my hands. Delivery was alleged for the fall. If it actually comes out, it may finally provide a good competitor to the Ruger 10/22.
Savage Scout fans, take heart: A guy at the Savage booth told me the custom shop is making left-hand Scouts, although the guns aren't yet a cataloged item.
Also sighted was the new Mossberg single-shot rifle (way too heavy for a hunting gun, I thought).
And finally, this note for cowboy shooters: A company previously unknown to me, America West Guns, had a large display of nice guns and cowboy clothes. A guy at the display alleged that they have taken over the Armi San Marco factory.
A fine event with many friendly folks. It was my first annual covnention, but I hope not the last.
[This message has been edited by David Roberson (edited May 22, 2000).]
RKBA politics -- I was among those participating in the gun rights solidarity march on Saturday morning. It was sponsored by Grass Roots North Carolina, our state's most aggressive and effective pro-gun group, which deserves many thanks from all of us (and another check from me) for doing a fine job for RKBA when the national media spotlight was on Charlotte. Media estimates of the size of our march ranged from 400 to 1,000. (It was definitely closer to 1,000 than to 400.) Neal Knox spoke at a rally to begin the march, and he was surprisingly ineffective as a speaker, even facing a friendly crowd. Our march did not meet with any counter-demonstrations, although we had been warned to expect them. I was told later that three planned anti-gun events were cancelled because of lack of participation. The anti-rights crowd did put together a march late in the afternoon on Saturday, and media estimates put its size at about 200, which I assume means there were about 50 people there.
NRA politics -- I had a chance to talk with our field rep and with James Jay Baker, and told both of them I was pleased the NRA had finally discovered some balls. Both told me they were hearing a lot of the same thing from other members, and they assured me the up-front statements about Clinton and The Evil Al Gore would continue.
S&W traitors -- Outside the convention center on Saturday a guy was passing out bright yellow stickers that advised "Boycott Smith & Wesson." These stickers were quite popular with attendees, and many people wore them. (A good number also somehow got stuck on the front counter at the S&W display.) I got a number of them and had many people inside the convention center ask for some, including two guys at the Hornady booth who promptly put them on. Staffers at the Cabela's and Colt displays also asked for stickers, although they said they'd get in trouble if they wore them on their company logo shirts while at the company booths. The guys at the S&W display were clearly prepared for hostile comments, and made mild responses. We looked at the new Schofield 2000, which was quite nice, but when the guy at the booth suggested that we buy one, my brother observed undiplomatically that he expected S&W to be bankrupt before they could get the gun in production. Other comments by us about the S&W administration were also received noncommitally, although one guy at the booth did admit that sales have declined measurably since the boycott was announced.
Colt cowards -- Colt had a big display showing all possible variants of the three or four guns they still make, and the guys at their booth insisted that the company is still in business, although they wouldn't say how many employees they still have or how many guns they're shipping. I concluded that the company is probably on the ropes and just shy of closing forever.
Other sightings --
Justin Moon was working at the Kahr Arms display, and was quite friendly. We told him that the slide release on the new plastic-framed Kahr sticks out way too far and needs to be smaller, and he nodded politely but didn't make any promises. He also said that Kahr has no plans to make a .45, but that they plan to put a lot of work into upgrading the quality of Auto Ordnance 1911s and increasing the number of models available.
The Rossi booth had an interesting new break-action single-shot handgun on display, and promised delivery at the end of the summer. The Rossi rep said they are no longer importing their Winchester 92 replicas into the U.S. because of fear about liability problems without a crossbolt safety. He did say, however, that Rossi is now manufacturing the Navy Arms 1892 replica, which a guy at the Navy Arms booth confirmed. The Navy Arms version still does not have the crossbolt safety, and neither the Navy Arms nor the Rossi guy could explain how Rossi's lawyers won't let them sell the gun without a crossbolt safety but the Navy Arms lawyers will.
The HK booth display of current products still included the USP-Tactical, which was supposed to have been discontinued. No explanation of what that means.
An encouraging new gun is a .22 semi-auto rifle from Thompson Center. It's a handsome firearm with all-steel receiver, and it felt great in my hands. Delivery was alleged for the fall. If it actually comes out, it may finally provide a good competitor to the Ruger 10/22.
Savage Scout fans, take heart: A guy at the Savage booth told me the custom shop is making left-hand Scouts, although the guns aren't yet a cataloged item.
Also sighted was the new Mossberg single-shot rifle (way too heavy for a hunting gun, I thought).
And finally, this note for cowboy shooters: A company previously unknown to me, America West Guns, had a large display of nice guns and cowboy clothes. A guy at the display alleged that they have taken over the Armi San Marco factory.
A fine event with many friendly folks. It was my first annual covnention, but I hope not the last.
[This message has been edited by David Roberson (edited May 22, 2000).]
