Free Republic

For Immediate Release: Janurary 22, 2013 Crimson Trace Withdraws from Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show (Wilsonville, OR) - Crimson Trace Corporation, the industry leader in laser sighting systems for personal defense, announces their withdrawl from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show February 2nd- 10th in Harrisburg, PA. Despite five years of attendance to serve the over 200,000 consumers in the Harrisburg and surrounding areas for one of the largest outdoor shows in the country, Crimson Trace stands with their industry partners and the NRA, who have decided not to attend in reaction to the decision from Reed Exhibition on displaying...

TenPoint Crossbow Technologies’ Chairman and CEO, Rick Bednar, expressing his company’s steadfast disagreement with the decision of the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show management to prohibit the display and sale of Modern Sporting Rifles at its 2013 Harrisburg, PA event, has decided to remove TenPoint’s display from the upcoming February 2-10 show. “We are taking this action to stand in solidarity with many other shooting and outdoor sporting goods manufacturers in support of the guarantees expressed in the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution,” Bednar said. “We regret having to make this decision because we have supported this great consumer event...

O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc, America’s oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer, today announced that the company will not attend or support the 2013 Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The company reached this decision after Reed Exhibitions banned Modern Sporting Rifles and has refused to reconsider their stance. Mossberg’s position on the Second Amendment is unwavering and steadfast; therefore, the company will not support any organization or event that prohibits the display or sale of legal firearms. We stand united with our loyal customers and supporters in this constitutional right and had only hoped for a different outcome.

Due to Reed Exhibitions' refusal to reconsider their decision to ban Modern Sporting Rifles from the February 2-10 Eastern Sports Show in Harrisburg, PA, the National Rifle Association has decided to withdraw from the show. We had called on Reed Exhibitions to reconsider their decision; unfortunately they have steadfastly refused to do so. As a result, the NRA will not be participating in the upcoming show in Harrisburg or in any other shows hosted by Reed Exhibitions that maintain this policy. We are disappointed that Reed Exhibitions has ignored the concerns expressed by attendees, the outdoor industry and the NRA...

Smith & Wesson will not attend or support or participate in the 2013 Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pa. in response to organizers banning the display and sell of tactical-looking firearms often called assault rifles from the show. Smith & Wesson manufacturers a successful line of what it and the industry calls “modern sporting rifles” under the M&P brand name. ... In a news release, James Debney, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson, said: “As a market leader in the firearm industry and an iconic brand that spans 160 years of American history, we believe it is...

The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show is billed as the largest show of its kind in North America. But after the event made a decision to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, it may now lose that title. "We felt that getting involved last year was a good business decision. It has a lot of coverage, a lot of exposure," said Ben Bode of Trop Gun Shop in Elizabethtown. Trop was one of the first vendors to boycott the show, and their customers responded. Trop's Facebook page exploded with 'likes', they received letter, faxes and praise from clients. But...