The cost of trying to be politically correct

[1969912 0]

The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show is a huge exhibition of outdoor and sporting goods and has been held for 50 years in the NE. Hundreds of outdoors and sporting equipment manufacturers pay for display space at the show. This year the show promoter decided that black rifles (AR's, AK's, etc.) should not be displayed or promoted at the show. A few firearm manufacturers objected, and after getting nowhere with the show promoter simply refused to participate and boycotted the show. One of the early boycotters was Smith & Wesson.

The boycott snowballed, and now more than 130 vendors have joined in. The show has been "postponed", and the community surrounding the show location is expected to lose $44 million in revenue.

I bet they think this thing through a bit better next year, that is if they are even in charge again (and they shouldn't be).

Black rifles are here to stay.

http://www.easternsportshow.com/

Partial boycott list:

- 2 Million Bullets
- 24/7 Hunting TV
- AAA Alsakan Outfitter
- Absaroke-Beartooth Outfitters
- Alaska's Ravencroft Lodge
- Alaskan Outdoors TV
- Ambush Firearms
- American Tactical
- American Whitetails of PA
- Antler Insanity
- Apex Tactical
- Appalachian Big Game TV
- Archery Tag
- Arrowhead Outdoors
- Artistic Visions Wildlife Studio
- Athens Archery
- Atlantic Tactical
- Atsko, Inc. / Sno-Seal Inc.
- Avian X Decoys
- Backwoods Whitetails Outfitters
- Bad Boy Inc.
- Bad Dog Accessories
- Banded Calls
- Bangin Redhedz Turkey Gear
- Bear Archery
- Beavertail Products
- Benelli Firearms
- Big Game Butter
- Blackwater Hunting Services
- Blitz TV
- Bob Shank Photography
- Body Guard 360
- Bohning Archery
- Boulder Basin Outfitters
- Boondock Outdoors
- Border Bucks Outfitters
- Bow Hunter's Den
- Bowhunting.com
- Bow Life, LLC
- Bramco / Golden Valley Enterprises
- Briley Outfitters
- Buck Bomb
- Bullseye Outfitters
- Burt Coyote Lumenok
- C&D Outfitters
- Cabela's
- Cabinet Mountain Outfitters
- Camo Addiction
- Campbell Cameras
- CanCooker
- Central Penn Sporting Clays & Game Preserve
- Chaparral Hunting Adventures
- CMO Scents
- Cochrane River Outfitters
- Cody Turkey Calls
- Cold Steel Knives
- Combative Edge
- Comre Safaris
- Comcast
- Con Yeager Spice Company
- Continental Divide Outfitters
- Cove Creek Outfitters
- Crimson Trace
- Cross Canyon Arms
- Cutting Edge Bullets
- D.A. Bow Shop, LLC
- Darkwoods Blind
- DCVR
- Dan Christ Gallery / Artist
- Dead Ringer
- Deer and Deer Hunting.com
- Deerassic Park Education Center
- Direct Action Tactical Firearms
- Dirty Buck Soap and Scents
- Dirty Dog Outdoors
- Domari Nolo Defense Consulting
- Dominance is Everything Hunting System
- Dominator 365
- Dokken Oakridge Kennels
- Down N Dirty Outdoors
- Drakes Migration Nation
- Driven TV
- Droptine Outfitters
- DuckWater Boats
- Dunn Knives
- Dusk to Dawn Bowfishing
- Eastern Chapter Wild Sheep Foundation
- Eastern Outdoors
- Easton Bow Hunting
- Excalibur Crossbow US, Inc
- Extreme Whitetails and Exotics
- EZ Cut Pruners
- Farmland Trophies Outfitting
- Fear No Evil
- Field Proven Calls
- Firearms Industry Consulting Group
- Firenock
- First African Outfitter / Hartzview Hunting Safaris
- Fish Outdoor Properties
- Flatline Productions
- Flyway Customs
- Foiles Migrators, Inc
- Food Plots By Design
- Forbes Turkey Calls
- FOXPRO High Performance Game Calls
- Franchi
- Freds Waterfowl Adventures
- Full Circle Outdoors
- Furtakers TV
- Game Keeper Cooler
- GhillieSuits.com
- Ghost River Outfitters – Alberta
- Gobbler Getter Turkey Calls
- Goey Hunting Calls
- Gone Wild Outdoors
- Goodling Rifles
- Grand-Safari.com – South Africa/Tanzania/Cameroon
- Grow The Bone Deer Attractant
- GunBroker.com
- Gut N Tag, LLC
- Hart Rifles
- H.S. Specialities
- Heartland Whitetails
- Herd Guard
- Hevi-Shot
- High Lonesome Outfitters
- HookHunt
- Hoyt Archery Inc
- Honey Creek Outfitters
- Hungry Wolf Guides
- Hunter Calls
- Hunter Safety Systems
- Hunter Specialties w/ Rick White
- Hunters and Guides Connection
- Hunters Comfort, LLC
- Hunter's Specialties
- Huntin' Is Good! TV
- Hunting Network, LLC
- IceHole Coolers
- Indian Creek Lodge Outfitters
- Interlocs
- International Bowhunting Organization
- Iron Kin Hunt Club
- IScope
- J & M Traditions
- Katahdin's Shadow Outfitters
- Keystone Country Store
- Keystone Elk Country Alliance
- King of the Mountain Inc.
- Kinsey's Outdoors
- Kodabow
- Lac Suzie Outfitter
- Lancaster Archery Supply
- Lanco Tactical
- Leupold & Stevens Inc.
- LHR Sporting Arms
- Livin' Country USA
- Lone Oak Retreivers
- Major League Bowhunter
- Masterpiece Outdoors, Inc.
- Men in Treestands Productions
- Midwest Bucks
- Midwest Finest Whitetails
- Midwest Whitetail Adventures
- Mindful of Nature LLC
- Mineral Mizer
- Molt Gear
- Moon Shine Attitude Attire
- Montana Mountain West Outfitters
- Montana Whitetails
- Mountain Dog Chews
- Mountain Hollow Game Calls
- MN Outdoors
- Muddy Outdoors
- Muskie Moose, LLC
- www.MyNortheastOutdoors.com
- NasHunt Outdoors
- National Wild Turkey Federation
- Nature Blinds, LLC
- NasHunt Outdoors
- National Rifle Association
- National Skeet Shooting Association
- Nine Bar Ranch
- Northern Hideaway Outfitters
- Northern Outdoor Lodge
- Northern Wilderness Outfitters
- North Mountain Pepper Works
- Ocean Side Country Lodge
- O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.
- Old Goat Outdoors
- Open Season TV
- Outdoor Channel Outfitters
- Outdoor Edge Knives
- Outdoor Specialist Group
- Outdoorsnative.com
- Ozonics Hunting
- PA Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs
- PA Taxidermist Association, Inc
- Pat Strawser Custom Calls
- Pennsylvania Trappers Assoc.
- Pennsylvania Whitetail Pursuit
- Perry's No Peep Archery Sights
- Pipeline Ridge Hunting Preserve
- Port Lions Lodge
- Predator Hunting Mounts
- Predator Nation TV
- Primal Urge Outdoors
- Primos Hunting Calls
- Proc's Huntin Buddy
- PSE Archery
- QDMA (PA Chapter)
- R.W. Hart & Son, Inc.
- Radical Hunter
- Ramcat Broadheads
- Ranew's Outdoor Equipment
- Red Star Arms
- Reflections Of The Wild
- Revolution Hunting
- Rhino Outdoors
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- Rougeaux Taxidermy
- Rough Country Outfitters
- Ruffed Grouse Society
- Ruger Firearms
- Rydon Corporation
- S & W Outfitter
- Savco LLC
- Savage Arms
- Sean Mann Outdoors
- SecureIt Tactical
- Shootingthex.com
- SK Knives
- Skull Shine
- SKW Firearms
- Smith and Wesson
- Southern Game Calls
- Southfork Mountain Lodge, Buffalo WY
- Southland Outfitters
- Southwest Outdoors / Cherry Creek Lodge
- Spook Span
- SportEAR
- Sportsmans Liquidators
- Sportsmen of North America TV
- Starkey Hollow Whitetails
- State Line Bone Mine
- Staudt's Gun Shop
- Stay Ready Inc
- Stoeger
- Stokerized Stabilizers
- Strong Case
- Strother Archery
- Summit County Outfitters
- Summit Treestands
- Sunflower Camo
- Susquehanna River Waterfowlers Assoc
- Sweetwater Creek Bowhunting
- Table Mountain Outfitters
- Tall Pines Bow Company
- Tarjac
- Team Overkill
- Team UPO
- Team Urban Nocks
- Ten Point Crossbows
- Tex Mex Outdoors
- The Outdoors Channel
- The Warmbag
- The Archery Shop
- The Bear Whisperer
- The Outdoor Loop
- The Sportsman's Shop
- The Warmbag
- ThermaCell
- Thompson Center Arms
- Timberline Outfitters
- TNT Archery
- Tough Country
- Trijicon, Inc
- Triple Mag TV
- Trop Gun Shop
- Trophy Ridge Outfitters
- Turnbull Manufacturing
- U Slide Bow Hunter
- Ultimate Camo
- Umax Outdoors
- Unified Sportsmen of PA
- Upper Canyon Outfitters
- Wallaston Lake Lodge
- Watson Air Lock
- Watt's Truck Center
- Weavers Archery
- Wessners Taxidermy
- West Slope Outfitters
- Whitetail Adrenanline
- Whitetail Bosses
- Whitetail Freaks
- Whitetail Heaven Outdoors
- Whitetail Journey
- Witetail Outdoors
- Whitewolfsurvivalsupply.com
- Wilburn Outdoors / Millennium Tree Stands
- Wild Evolution
- Wildlife Studios Premiere Taxidermy
- Wired Outdoors
- Wolfpack Lodge
- Woodcock Limited of Pennsylvania
- X-Stand Treestands
- Zink Calls
- Zook Cabins

"Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ."
-NickDG

[rushmc 23]

Industry sources say they most likely will never be associated with this company EVER again.

Did you know that Eastern Sports owned by a British company?

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[babz 0]

Damn us Brits eh ;)

Quick google seems to suggest its owned by a company in philly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Mountain_Sports -
owners - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versa_Capital_Management


I can kind of see why they'd do it, because they are in a loose loose scenario - run the event showcasing the black rifles and get vilified by the media for not showing compassion or ban the guns and get put down by the industry..

[davjohns 1]

I couldn't remember the full story, so I lifted this from wiki.

In March 2000 Smith & Wesson was the only major gun manufacturer to sign an agreement with the Clinton Administration. The company agreed to numerous safety and design standards as well as limits on the sale and distribution of its products. Gun clubs and gun rights groups responded to this agreement by initiating large-scale boycotts of Smith & Wesson by refusing to buy their new products and flooding the firearms market with used S&W guns. After a 40% sales slide, the sales impact from the boycotts led Smith & Wesson to suspend manufacturing at two plants. The success of the boycott led to a Federal Trade Commission antitrust investigation's being initiated under the Clinton administration, targeting gun dealers and gun rights groups, which was subsequently dropped in 2003. This agreement signed by Tomkins PLC ended with the sale of Smith & Wesson to the Saf-T-Hammer Corporation. The new company (Smith and Wesson Holding Corporation), which publicly renounced the agreement, was received positively by the firearms community.

[edit] Acquisition by Saf-T-HammerOn 11 May 2001, Saf-T-Hammer Corporation acquired Smith & Wesson Corp. from Tomkins PLC for US$15 million, a fraction of the US$112 million originally paid by Tomkins. Saf-T-Hammer assumed US$30 million in debt, bringing the total purchase price to US$45 million.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[turtlespeed 226]

I love it when people vote with their money. Or is that with their feet?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[wmw999 2,577]

Reed Exhibitions is the promoter. Eastern Mountain Sports (which is from NH) has nothing to do with this show, they're a camping, hiking, climbing, kayaking, etc. company. That's stuff you might do while hunting, but they don't sell hunting-specific stuff.

Reed Exhibitions is a worldwide promoter of lots of events. I have a feeling that if that vendor loses that particular show, they don't really care. OTOH, the community might find a different promoter.

Of course, Reed is a world leader. The community might get a lesser provider. Such is life. Businesses have the right to choose in both directions, and appear to have done so. The community loses, but it's probably a short-term loss.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[rushmc 23]

Quote

Reed Exhibitions is the promoter. Eastern Mountain Sports (which is from NH) has nothing to do with this show, they're a camping, hiking, climbing, kayaking, etc. company. That's stuff you might do while hunting, but they don't sell hunting-specific stuff.

Reed Exhibitions is a worldwide promoter of lots of events. I have a feeling that if that vendor loses that particular show, they don't really care. OTOH, the community might find a different promoter.

Of course, Reed is a world leader. The community might get a lesser provider. Such is life. Businesses have the right to choose in both directions, and appear to have done so. The community loses, but it's probably a short-term loss.

Wendy P.

For the community's sake I hope you are right

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[1969912 0]

USA Today had an article about it, and said that the total cost would be $88 million.

"Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ."
-NickDG