C&E, ShowMasters Spark Return Of The Central Ohio Gun Shows

After an absence of several months, gun shows are returning to Central Ohio!

I have not commented on this in this forum because I am an officer of Peoples Rights Organization, a stateside grassroots firearms rights organization that used gun shows as a fundraising tool for advocacy efforts and to help underwrite free crime avoidance programming throughout the state. Legal and criminal issues are pending and I have just felt it was not appropriate to address those things here.

As many are aware, after a nearly 15-year run, the PRO Gun Shows, as they were called, came to a halt suddenly earlier this year when the promoter the organization paid to run the events unexpectedly fled the state leaving behind a dizzying trail of unpaid bills. His actions shook the gun show industry around the nation, and many, many people who were vendors or paid staff at the shows he ran were left damaged.

BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS! C&E Gun Shows and ShowMasters, of Blacksburg, Va., is coming to Ohio! The combined organizations have taken over PRO Gun Shows' show dates, and the shows they put on will be something Ohio has not seen before.

Go to www.cegunshows.com and www.showmasters.us for information on this dynamic show organization, and its complete multi-state show schedule. They are the "Big Dogs" in gun shows. Here is the rundown on the Ohio dates that have been announced:

August 9-10 -- Columbus, Franklin County Veterans Memorial (a 1,700 table show!)
Sept. 13-14 -- Wilmington, Roberts Centre
Oct 25-26 -- Columbus, Westland Mall
Nov. 1-2 -- Wilmington, Roberts Centre
Nov. 29-30 -- Columbus, Franklin County Veterans Memorial
Jan. 3-4. 2009 -- Columbus, Westland Mall

I have met Steve and Annette Elliot, owners of the two organizations, and am very impressed with the way they approach gun shows, not just as a business, but as a venue for networking, advocacy, teaching, and family entertainment. Moreover I share their passion -- and I mean PASSION -- for the Second Amendment. Their commitment comes through in conversation, word and deed.

So put the show dates on your calendar! There currently are some problems with the PRO website, so for now it is best to get updated info from the C&E Gun Shows website. There will be many more announcements in the coming weeks regarding events going on concurrent with the gun shows. As soon as the PRO site is working properly (there was a virus issue), I will let you know.

So two things -- First, be sure to support your Second Amendment, rejoice in the Heller decision (the affirmation of the Second Amendment), and come out an enjoy a family event by visiting the new gun shows, the first of which will be held in Columbus in August. BTW, if you were not aware, Columbus has not enjoyed a gun show since the 1980s, when politically motivated ordinances were passed that drove the huge money making events (for Columbus hotels and restaurants) out of the city.

And second: Annette and Steve (and C&E and ShowMasters), welcome to Ohio! We look forward to a long and mutually rewarding relationship!