This is cross posted from the Meetings and Events Forum for additional exposure...

The Mid Atlantic Arms Collectors show scheduled for March 16 and 17 at the Fort Washington Expo Center has been canceled. See the MAAC page for details:
[url]http://www.nep.net/~maacpsse/maac.html[/url]

I sent the following e-mail:


I urge all of you to write as well. The address:
[email][email protected][/email]

Thanks!

Done.

Ft. Washington wasn't the best show, but it was better than most.  Hopefully, the shows at Valley Forge will continue and maybe become a bit more frequent as a result of this.

I don't even live close, but they don't know that, so I shot them off an email for the hell of it. Hopefully they will go bankrupt.

Thanks Shaggy and Ponyboy! But if I can only scare up 2 responses from the hardcore folks here at AR15.com, the Expo management is going to be chuckling over my predictions of "a considerable loss of business."

BTW, I considered the Fort Washington show second only to Harrisburg. Maybe better, now that you have to park off site and shuttle bus into the Harrisburg show.

I just sent out my letter.  Here it is for all of you to see.  Please guys, help us out.  This is the only halfway decent show in the Philly area.  
I can't just have the Harrisburg show, I CAN'T.
I NEED to have several shows closer to me to keep my fix flowing.

[b]To Whom it May Concern,
    I am an avid hunter and firearms collector living in South Eastern Pennsylvania.   I was greatly disappointed when I received news that policy changes for your Expo Center no longer allows gun shows to be permitted within your facility.  I have attended the past 19 shows MAAC had scheduled for your location and, in support of your pro Second Amendment stance, I deliberately attended all car shows, boat shows, computer shows, and other events also scheduled for your facility, even if your local competitors had larger shows scheduled.  I also encouraged 2 of my former employers to use your facility for company wide events, which they did.  During this timeframe, I also boycotted the Valley Forge Convention Center for having a no gun show policy, which they have recently overturned.  Your new policy will hurt your business.  Although you may not receive alot of complaints, I guarantee your show attendances will be lower due to this policy.  Do not think that I am alone on this issue.  Also, don't assume that I am some sort of extremist or undesirable that isn't part of your key demographic.  I am a successful business professional with an average annual income in excess of $100,000, I am happily married with children, and am active in my local community.  I regularly communicate with dozens of businesses in the area, all of which have active sportsman in high level positions within their organization, most of whom also attended these shows.  You have lost more support than you are aware of.  Pennsylvania is a sportsman's state, and you have taken a stance against sportsman.  

Thank you very much for your time, and for the past 9 years of quality shows.
A truly disappointed supporter,
Michael XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Manager of Technical Operations
XXXXXXX XXXXXX Telecom Inc.[/b]

(sorry for the X's guys but with kbperf's recent issues I finally made myself a tin foil hat)

Anyone know the status of the Valley Forge shows.  The old VF shows put Ft. Washington to shame and sometimes even better than Harrisburg.  They also got cancelled a few years back, but in December, they were allowed to have one again - I suppose on a trial basis.  Turnout was ok; not great, but considering it was 2 days before Christmas and very few in the gun community knew about it, I don't think it was bad.  If Ft. Washington is done, there may be more pressure and financial incentive for VF to open up to regular shows again.

Hey boys and girls-
The VF show is scheduled (still?) for 3/23, 3/24...I don't have SGN handy.

With the number of e-mails that this group [b][i]could[/i][/b] generate, maybe the Mgmt of the Expo Center would see the error of their ways, and that the activities/attendees of the show have, in no way whatsoever, any relationship to the activities involving terrorism, etc. Hell, my mom and dad were going to come down from NY to go there with my fiancee and I! I really wonder how deeply rooted the Mgmt's "be careful, there are gonna be guns there" mentality/paranoia is...or, was it brought on be some other external group/special interest? Will they continue the Outdoors/Hunting Dogs/etc shows?

....Edittedd 'kuz I kant spel gud.....

I went to the last Valley Forge show.  Very small, but it was nice to see some new vendors for a change.  And I found USGI's for under $15!  The building changed mangement recently so i'm hoping that the evil policy left with the old management company.  
My take on the Fort Washington issue is the fact that there always seemed to be a craft fair the same weekend of the MAAC show.  You should see the soccer mom's eyes when they're walking through the parking lot with some sort of flower thing and there's a guy with a gun or guns over his shoulder.  I'm sure there were complaints.

Here's my note...if you want to use some of it, feel free. If not, just point out my misspellings...

[b]To the Management:

I am rather surprised to hear that the Mid-Atlantic Arms Collectors' show, scheduled for the 16th and 17th of March, has been canceled. I am further surprised at the cryptic content of the announcement to the MAAC that the show was no longer an acceptable show to hold at the Expo Center. I have been a great fan of all of the shows I've attended there, including the Sugar Loaf Craft Show, Boat Show, Home
Show, Computer Show, et al.  Until this point, the hunting and shooting community seemed to have a solid relationship with the Expo Center, and an ally in presenting a quality event for the area's law-abiding hunters and shooters. The staff has been warm, the facilities superb, and the location excellent.

You may be very familiar with the text below, used to inform the MAAC of their Show's cancellation:
"Although we appreciated doing business with you up until now, current circumstances require
that we be more careful with the shows that we permit within the Expo Center."

To clear the air, I would recommend (and expect) a public statement of some sort, enumerating the reasons that the Expo Center's admittance policy has been changed and what/who has determined that this show be canceled. To be certain, when the security of the staff, exhibitors and attendees is at risk, any problems must be addressed. What complaints have you received? What are your fears? Are you insinuating that the show has anything to do with the horrible events in the news involving Terrorists, box-cutters, and other assorted Right- and Left-Wing Extremists? If you are, you accuse all of the attendees (including myself) of involvement in illegal activities. Further, I would pity you for being duped into fear by the liberal news media and those with no sense of the sporting tradition.

If the decision was based on political positioning or simple dislike of the chosen hobby of the exhibitors or attendees, I fear that you will regret your decision financially.

I realize that once a Corporate decision is finalized, there is little that this single letter can do by itself. However, to clear the air on what specific topics/exhibitors/corporations you will and will not allow to come on premises, a public notice would seem to be in your best interest.

I'll also make certain that I personally do not cause any detriment to the Corporation's "carefulness" by staying away from the other shows held at the Center. I strongly urge you to reconsider and revisit
your Corporate policy.

Thank you for your time.

Thomas M. Knight
COMPANY INFO....[/b]

I can't believe this topic won't generate more posts...

Again, we as sportsmen and gun owners take a shot on the chin and a kick in the nuts, and do little or nothing...

I sent an email, but not being good with words, it was brief and to the point...


Subject:Very angry & disappointed

Why have the gunshows been cancelled ??? Are we as hunters and gun owners considered second class citizens ? Has there ever been a gun related incident at your establishment during a gunshow ??? Is gun industry money "dirty" ???
I've spent thousands of dollars at these shows over the last few years...
All guns were purchased LEGALLY and with ALL the federal and state required background checks and paperwork...I guess the anti-gun brainwashing has clouded your judgement of good business practice...
I can't believe this brainwashing is so powerfull that it actually turns a business away from money...
I'm very upset that this anti-gun agenda is hitting so close to home...
I really hope you folks reconsider this VERY foolish decision you've made...
You have no idea how much bad publicity this has already created(nationwide via internet), and it will only get worse...
You have severely underestimated the dedication of hunters, sportsmen, and collectors of the tri-state area...

Thank you,

Art Wxxxxx
### xxxxxx xxx.
xxxxxxx, XX #####
(###) ###-####



LETS GO GUYS !!!
GET THOSE EMAILS FLYING !!!

People DO read them...

I sent a "pro 2nd amendment" email to my PA reps, and got a real nice ink signed letter from one of them...

Our efforts aren't always wasted...

I sent an email.  Doubt it will help.  As the other Pennsylvanians here can attest, S.E. PA is becoming very, very anti-gun/hunting.  Just try and get permission to hunt in Bucks County!  Anyway I have seen the ogles coming from the other side.  I even heard some woman utter that she could not belive it was legal for someong to carry "an M16" in the open, my wife had it(Colt AR not M16) slung over her shoulder while I toted the "heavy" stuff(ammo) out the door.  Too bad though. Well the armory in NE Philly has one once in a while.

Sent!

Thanks people! This is the quote from the MAAC announcement:


"Current circumstances require that we be more careful with the shows that we permit within the Expo Center." Damn it, that's [b]US[/b] they're talking about!

Please take a moment and drop an e-mail. Thanks again to all who have written and all who will.

Here is mine:

Expo Staff,

I have read a very disturbing article regarding your cancellation of the above referenced show at the Ft. Washington Expo Center scheduled for March 16th and 17th.  Here is the quote as taken from the Internet article I read located here:

[url]http://www.sierratimes.com/02/03/03/arpa030302.htm[/url]

"Although we appreciated doing business with you up until now, current circumstances require that we be more careful with the shows that we permit within the Expo Center."

Is this quote accurate and if so could you kindly explain the context of this quote to me?  Specifically the phrase "be more careful with the shows that we permit."

I will look forward to receiving your explanation of this cancellation.


It took me five re-writes to make it sound professional.  :008:

Regards,
Gary

Sent my email too.

Ya know, this stuff is beginning to remind me of McCarthy and "everybody's a communist" from the 50s.

I'm very pissed that the Fort Washington shows are no more. These were the best shows in the Philly area. I went to many of them. I thought something was up in the fall. THere was supposed to be a show in I think Oct and one in Dec. They cancelled both of those and had one show in Nov. Seemed odd and at the time I was pissed that they cancelled the Oct show.

Here are dates for shows at the NE Armory : Mar. 16 &17, June 22&23, Sept 21&22, Nov 23&24.

Here are dates for shows at the Valley Forge convention center: Mar. 23&24, June 15&16, Oct 5&6, Dec 21&22.

I'm working on my letter to fort washington now.

More out of that Gore voting socialist state. Someplece where you can hunt with your semi autos and can load more than 3 rounds in your gun at the range.

Sure and PA has its faults, but there are not a whole lot of more gun friendly choices.

I'm pleased that this is starting to generate more response. Keep the e-mails coming!