NRA show in St. Louis MO. Anyone been before?

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Petespacking

New member
Has anyone been to the NRA show held in St. Louis? I'm looking for some general information like how crowded it is, can you buy merchandise there, is one day better than the other, any info you'd like to share would be appreciated. Thanx
 
It is held in a different city each year. I've never been to it in St. Louis befire, but I have been to other NRA Annual Meetings.

Yes, expect it to be rather crowded, but worthwhile. Saturday will probably be the most crowded. If you can go on one of the other days, I would recommend it.

Yes, you can buy stuff (but not guns). There will be a big "NRA Store" where you can buy all the stuff with an NRA logo on it that the organization makes some money on. Other vendors will be selling some things, but many will not. Some minor swag, like stickers, pens, etc.
 
If you are arriving by car, stay at one of the better hotels if you are going to be spending the night.

Put your car in a parking garage or a "pay to park" lot instead of trying to park on the street.

Try to stay out of East St. Louis. Bad neighborhoods and a bunch of people who think they are "Bad".

I would also advise you to fill up your gas tank before entering the city. Prices are usually cheaper on the outskirts, if you are coming in on the Missouri side.

If you are carrying, make sure it is concealed and LEGAL! St. Louis police are not very friendly towards gun toting people as they are in other parts of the world.

Most Importantly: SPEND SPEND SPEND. The more you spend here in Missouri, the less likely they will want to raise my state taxes again. :D Honestly, A beautiful city and friendly people. Check out the Arch if you can.

http://explorestlouis.com/visit-exp...in-st-louis/?gclid=CNWx-LT0p68CFWHDtgodHzvRaQ
 
Check out the Arch if you can.
Click to expand...

Just note- the Arch (at least in the past) has metal detectors, so don't carry into the building itself.

One other item of note that will be of concern to people traveling in- that is the same weekend as the Cardinals home opener (against the Cubs, no less), so downtown is going to be CROWDED. We're intending on using the Metrolink park and ride system- probably even driving over to IL and coming in from the Casino Queen to avoid much of the mess.
 
"Try to stay out of East St. Louis." Boy there's some words to live by. When I grew up in the 60s in St Louis parts of the south side were so bad at night that if the police were called they wouldn't roll unless they could put at least 2 or 3 cars on it. The bad guys would call for a cop and take him down as soon as he got out of the car. They would strip the car steal the radios and roll the cop into a dumpster. And East St. Louis is much much worse. Some of the highway interchanges downtown will route you right over the river into East St. Louis. You can then exit exit down into East St. Louis but there are no return ramps to get back up on the highway. If this happens after dark you won't like what you see.
 
I've only been to the NRA show in Reno. I have been to St Louis and highly recommend you don't cross the bridge to E St Louis. Do not leave the tourist sites in St Louis either. Visit the Arch, the courthouse where Dred Scott was heard at the lower level before going to the Supreme Court, and the Budweiser Brewery. Back in the old days, the court house boasted of the last flush toilets before one reached California. It has been modernized and there is no shortage of water closets today. The history museum has some interesting guns if you're into muzzle loading.
 
Been to the NRA convention in Indianapolis. Very worth while.
As for St. Louis, Uncle Buck nailed it. Heed his advice. In fact, do not even look 'gangstas' in the eye, it could provoke an attack. Really.
St. Louis is one of our most dangerous cities. Sad as it is also one of our most historically important cities.
 
America's Center (the location for the convention) is right on the edge of good and bad areas. The southern/eastern side of the convention hall are just fine- that's actually the nightlife district. Go too much to the north or northwest and stuff gets iffy FAST.

Since the Cardinals home opener is this weekend and the Blues are in the playoffs I would expect the downtown area to be relatively well populated for a weekend with good police presence, so there aren't likely to be many crimes against persons. HOWEVER, crimes against property are far from unknown- I would strongly recommend actual lockboxes if you leave a weapon in your vehicle; car break ins are rather common downtown and the crooks know who is coming to town- they'll be looking for your guns.

Comments about East St. Louis are not incorrect- keep in mind that IL doesn't recognize anybody's carry permits, so a wrong turn can easily make you a felon if you have a weapon in your vehicle. Pay attention to highway signage and drive with care.
 
Went to the show on Friday and it was great! I highly recommend going to it just to see every conceivable gun you can think of and be encouraged to handle it. Taking he metro was the way to go. Thanks all for the informative posts.
 
I just arrived back from the show

It was fantastic and I would love to go again but probably not Huston next year. St. Louis was only a 7 hour drive for us from central Kansas and a nice drive at that. The traffic is a fright but you figure it out after a couple of days. My wife is a great navigator. Parking is terrible, but only one time did we have much trouble. Downtown is free from Friday evening through the weekend. The America Center is great and a great venue with the Jones Dome right next door. Whoever said to fill up before entering was right - Wow they are proud of their gas.

We stayed in East St. Louis down highway 3 at a camp ground. Wasn't the best, but not the worst either. Had to pretty much leave all firearms at home, not to many friendly places to carry there.

We went to the opening dinner and auction, didn't buy anything but it was fun just to be there. Also went to Friday night event with Larry the Cable guy and Glen Beck. It was very good, Larry was hilarious and had the place rolling in the isles.

The show itself was awesome. Anyone that made anything for firearms or knives was there. Some things for sale, much was for show and tell. Some really good deals for some things. I just enjoyed picking up and handling dozens of firearms I don't see everyday. Ruger had two new firearms on display and talked to tech guys there about my MK III. Pickup up some bullets from the Berry's guys as they didn't want to pack them out.

If you ever think you want to go, do it, I don't think you will be disappointed. We spent Friday all day walking and maybe saw half of it. Went to the Anheiser Bush on Saturday and Grant Farms and both were great. Took in the Arch Sunday and then finished up at the show. Went with another couple and we had a total blast, enjoyed every minute of it, even standing in line was fun. Got to meet a lot of gun people from all over the country.
 
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