Just like the National Rifle Association meetings, firearms at the Great American Outdoor Show will be on display but not for sale.  The show in Harrisburg will take the place of the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show which was cancelled this year.

The NRA says it’s introducing many new features to the show.  The goal is to attract a national audience in Harrisburg.  But as the new sponsors of the show, they’ve made another change that’s promoting negative opinions from local gun shops who rely on the show to make a living.

Staudt’s Gun Shop is one of few mom and pop gun shops in Harrisburg.

Owner Joe Staudt says, “We have a lot of people who are competitive shooters, recreational shooters, a lot of hunters.”

Staudt says his business of two years may no longer be taking a shot at next year’s Great American Outdoor Show.

He says, “For me to go there and display some guns when they can go right over the Smith and Wesson, or Colt counter and see every gun they make, there’s really no advantage for us to go to take guns for display purposes.”

In addition to including major manufacturers at the Farm Show Complex, Staudt says his shop could lose 30% of its annual earnings by not being able to sell firearms.

Staudt says, “If we can’t sell there, and we’re only going to be marketing or just handing out cards and telling people about us we have to look at the rate of return, if it will be worth while or not.”

The shop is a million dollar business that includes gunsmithing.  So the decision to attend the show is still up in the air.

Staudt says, “I was looking forward to having that broader market for us to get exposure this year.  And we’re not sure if we’ll particiapte or not.”

The NRA says they’re comfortable with their decisions.

Dauphin County Commissioner, Jeff Haste says, “”It is the NRA’s policy, not something they just drafted up.  It’s their policy they don’t sell guns at their show.”

Haste says the NRA’s interest is making sure the event is an outdoor show with more to offer than only guns.

After Reed Exhibitions “indefinitely postponed” the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, which was scheduled to take place in Harrisburg earlier this month, WQLV-FM in Millersburg quickly heard from frustrated listeners looking for an alternative.

The station will host a show dubbed the “American Outdoorsman Sport Show” at the Carlisle Expo Center March 21-24. Additional information can be found on the show’s website by clicking here.

“There were people who planned on coming in (for the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show). They would book their whole season just off of the one show in Harrisburg. And, they’d be from Wyoming, Montana, Canada,” said WQLV owner and president Ric Cooper.

Reed Exhibitions banned assault-style rifles from the show in the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. More than 300 vendors eventually boycotted, leading Reed to cancel the show with no immediate plans of rescheduling it.

Dauphin County leaders estimate the show has an $80 million economic impact on the region and is one of the largest shows of its kind in the country.

“You postpone a show like that, it’s not going to be started back up,” said Kenny Paul, host of WQLV’s morning show “Initial Reaction.”

After gauging interest on Facebook, the station moved quickly to organize an alternate show. So far, a couple dozen vendors have committed to attend, while another 55 contracts are pending. The expo center can hold 116 vendors, Cooper said.

Organizers of the show will allow assault-style rifles to be sold.

“If it’s legal in the United States for you to sell it, to own it, to use it, then it should be (allowed) at our show. So, that’s the way we’re setting the show up, just taking a common sense approach,” said Cooper.

Of course, the event won’t be on the scale of what ESOS typically is. The Dauphin County Commission has set aside $58,000 for a down payment on the Farm Show complex to reserve it next year in an attempt to ensure an outdoor show happens. Commissioners are working with the Harrisburg-Hershey Convention and Visitors Bureau to talk to event promoters to see what interest they have in hosting the show.

WQLV managers say they’re interested in taking on that task if Reed doesn’t come back. They point out many vendors may not be willing to go after the controversy that’s surrounded this year’s show.

“They kind of want to stick it to (Reed Exhibitions) for not taking them seriously about wanting to be able to display or sell the assault rifles and things like that,” said Cooper.

If you’re planning to go: Admission will be $10 for people 12 and up. The event will run March 21-24, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. It picks up again Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Local business braced for a significant economic hit after Reed Exhibitions announced Thursday it’s indefinitely postponing the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. The event was scheduled to start next Saturday at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.

The annual event draws people from across the country for the biggest show of its kind on the East Coast. The Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau estimated the economic impact to be at least $80 million.

“The granddaddy, it’s the same impact that you would have if you were to cancel the Super Bowl in New Orleans in 10 days,” said Randy Stuart, vice president of sales for Milestone Hospitality Management. The company manages three hotels in the Harrisburg area.

Stuart estimated his business would lose $220,000 from guest cancellations alone.

“All the folks who come from feeder cities to go to this event, just in our three hotels alone it’s 2,400 rooms,” said Stuart.

The visitors bureau called its economic impact estimate conservative “because it does not factor in venue revenue from parking, food & beverage, service and rental fees. The estimate also does not include the lost room tax revenue collected by Dauphin County or the lost revenue at Harrisburg International Airport or other related facilities and service providers.“

Reed decided to limit the use of assault rifles at the show in the wake of the hot political debate over the role of guns in American society.

Some gun rights advocates were highly critical of the decision, leading some to boycott the event. As of Thursday, a website keeping track of vendors estimated more than 300 of them had decided to back out of the event. You can read about that by clicking here.

Reed released a statement about the decision Thursday but declined interview requests. (Click here to read the full statement.)

The statement reads in part, “It is unfortunate that in the current emotionally charged atmosphere this celebratory event has become overshadowed by a decision that directly affected a small percentage of more than 1,000 exhibits showcasing products and services for those interested in hunting and fishing.”

Jospeh Staudt runs a gun store just outside Harrisburg and had planned to be an exhibitor for the first time at the show. However, he said the show became so controversial, he became one of the 300 vendors who decided not to go.

“I am disappointed overall, first that we had to back out of the show, and of course now that it’s postponed, I’m hoping that Reed Exhibitions when and if they do decide to put it back on, that this restriction on certain firearms won’t apply,” said Staudt.

Staudt said he recently returned from the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nev., which Reed Exhibitions produces and manages. It’s a huge trade show which is not open to the public. Staudt said it featured assault weapons, the kind Reed was attempting to limit in Pennsylvania.

While Reed managed the show, it’s owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which is based in Newtown, Conn.

Staudt said he would consider attending the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show should it end up happening. But, he wants Reed to reconsider its decision on which weapons to allow.

Staudt said he is “hoping that Reed Exhibitions would change their mind and since these types of firearms are not outlawed, that they would be able to be a part of the show.”

The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show has been postponed this year over the gun debate. Reed Exhibitions posted this statement to the show’s website this morning.

“Reed Exhibitions has decided to postpone, for now, the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show given the controversy surrounding its decision to limit the sale or display of modern sporting rifles (also called ARs) at the event. The show was scheduled to take place February 2-10 in Harrisburg, PA.

“Our original decision not to include certain products in the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show this year was made in order to preserve the event’s historical focus on the hunting and fishing traditions enjoyed by American families,” said Chet Burchett, Reed Exhibitions President for the Americas. “In the current climate, we felt that the presence of MSRs would distract from the theme of hunting and fishing, disrupting the broader experience of our guests. This was intended simply as a product decision, of the type event organizers need to make every day.

“It has become very clear to us after speaking with our customers that the event could not be held because the atmosphere of this year’s show would not be conducive to an event that is designed to provide family enjoyment. It is unfortunate that in the current emotionally charged atmosphere this celebratory event has become overshadowed by a decision that directly affected a small percentage of more than 1,000 exhibits showcasing products and services for those interested in hunting and fishing.

“ESS has long been proud to participate in the preservation and promotion of hunting and fishing traditions, and we hope that as the national debate clarifies, we will have an opportunity to consider rescheduling the event when the time is right to focus on the themes it celebrates.”

The information above provided by the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show and Reed Exhibitions.

As word of Reed Exhibitions banning assault style rifles spreads, so does the list of vendors, sponsors and celebrities backing out and boycotting the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg.

Kinsey’s Outdoors is one of those businesses. This is the first show they will miss in over ten years. “As a business, dealing with the public, you know having a door that’s open to the public, it’s a very hard decision to make. The decisions you make, they don’t appease to everyone you just hope you’re making the one that is right for yourself. And that will benefit the majority,” says General Manager Alex Cameron. “It was determined with ownership that we could not support their decision. It appeared we couldn’t support it and our customers don’t support it, and our business partners the majority of which don’t support it. We’re an outdoor store, but we support anything that has to do with hunting, fishing, related to the outdoors, and part of that is owning and using recreational firearms. Not just for hunting or tradition but as part of our right to do so.”

A statement on the Eastern Sports And Outdoor Show website says, “As a hunting-focused event, we welcome exhibitors who wish to showcase products and firearms that serve the traditional needs of the sport. Clearly, we strongly support the 2nd Amendment. However, this year we have made the decision not to include certain products that in the current climate may attract negative attention that would distract from the strong focus on hunting and fishing at this family oriented event and possibly disrupt the broader positive experience of our guests.”

For more information on Kinsey’s Outdoors click here  For a list of vendors boycotting the show click here