TTAG reader Thomas Paine emailed us a heads-up from pagunblog.com: following Reed Exhibitions decisiojn to ban “tactical rifles” from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA, Cabela’s has withdrawn from the event. “After careful consideration regarding Cabela’s business practices, and the feelings of our customers,” the company’s Facebook page states, “Cabela’s will, unfortunately, not have a presence at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show.” So far 8500 likes. Also out: Nature Blinds, Cutting Edge Bullets, Lancaster Archery Supply, Atlantic Tactical, Boondock Outdoors, Whitetail Bosses, Trop Gun Shop, Dead Ringer Hunting, Domari Nolo Defense Consulting, Kinsey’s Outdoors, Direct Action Tactical and Hunters and Guides Connection. Major props to pafoa.org for putting the screws to the anti-2a UK-based exhibitions giant.

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63 COMMENTS

  1. If the weapons, hunting and accessory manfacturers can get behind us, perhaps the economics of banning these things will come to the forefront.

  4. Lancaster Archery must have an inside scoop that crossbows might be next. Im also guessing Nature Blinds wants to protect their sniper perchs and machine gun nests. Maybe theese companies need to give a stiff elbow to the hunters and wake them up.

    +infinitie to any non-firearm businesses getting involved. This IS your fight too!

      • I’m an NSSF member, and I was disappointed at the NSSF’s weak-sauce response on Friday when this news broke. I wrote them immediately and urged them to end their relationship with Reed unless Reed does a rapid about-face.

        We should be spending our money supporting our allies, not fair-weather opportunists like Reed.

  6. Send them a message thanking them and letting them know how you feel. I have and so have many of my friends.

  8. im a bit confused…how does cabela’s and others leaving,,,,help us law abiding gun owners…am i missing something…maybe its me have been assisting morons at work it made me a bit stoopid today,,,,

    • It dosnt directly help us. Its a walk out protest and hurts the people sponsoring the show by taking away business

      • It helps us b/c the organizer paid big $$$ in advance to rent the place. If businesses pull out, the organizer is stuck holding the bag. Since the organizer banned semiauto rifles, phuck ’em!!

    • Yeah, I would like a little more info on their motivation prior to slobbering their knob. I do like Cabelas.

    • It does not help us now, but it sends a message to manufactures and others that if they do not support us we will not support them. So, they have to make a choice. Reed Exhibitions made their choice and we should make ours. At the end the industry needs our money so they should listen to us.

      • Cabella’s paid good money for the booth space plus sponsorship advertising which they probably won’t receive a refund if already paid. Unless it was agreed beforehand that they could sell these products and then producers of the show made a knee-jerk reaction to all the hype, then Cabella’s might be able to get a refund because of a change of show guidelines after the fact !

  9. +1 for Cabelas! I will order more from them soon. Besides I love their $20 off coupons. Makes my 22 buying that much better.

    Support those that support the 2nd amendment!

  11. Cabela’s runs very good deals occasionally on ammo. Just bought 7.62x 39 @ 4.99 for a 20!round box. You can also get free in store shipping if you have a store near you to pick it up.
    Cabela’s keeps going up on my list.

      • Why do you say yes? Maybe their reps got the flu. No facts to base your opinion on, from what I can tell.

        • Joke, no offense but there are several companies listed besides Cabelas. Did they ALL have something happen to their reps?

          Cant speak for the others but Im sure Cabelas has plenty of reps ready to travel on a moments notice.

        • If you read the official announcement from the company it says “due to recent changes made by Reed Exhibitions regarding the eastern sports and outdoor show”, maybe the recent changes are booth size or placement? Seems it was a counter to the shows public move against semi-auto rifles. At minimum, cabela’s the corporation believes their customers do not support the shows stance. Maybe it’s not clear enough for you, that’s fine, make your own decision.

  13. Jump on Cabela’s website and tell them thanks by live chat. It’s active until 2300 CST. I just got done doing it myself.

  16. Yes, we have a new Cabela’s opening about 7 miles from where I live in Louisville, KY this Spring. Can’t wait for them to open.

    • Cabelas is half-way between my two offices (about 10 miles). Not good for my wallet, but I am very pleased they stepped up

  18. FYI – I just did the live chat and posted the link to this story to make sure mangement knows about it.

  19. Not only glad to see Cabela’s pulling out but also my LGS (Trop’s) staying home as well. Thumbs up to these businesses!

    • Huge +1 to Trops. Hour drive for me, but very worth it in my opinion. JD’s a great guy, if you ever get to meet him (not that I’ve run into any bad ones there, all salt of the earth).

      Keep your eyes open; they’re going to be expanding like crazy this year. I believe at least two new stores opening up, the one right near their current location will have world-class indoor ranges.

  20. I’ve got a Cabela’s credit card, and have been a customer of theirs since they opened up a massive shop near the 41/45 in WI (Menominee Falls, I believe). They have a strong hunting tradition, but they are clearly not afraid of black rifles. They have my support, and I vote with dollars.

    • Richfield Wi. & I shop their too. Only problem is you can’t belly up to the gun counter on weekends, Randy

  22. That’s Harrisburg, not Harris.

    Considering that this is the largest outdoor and hunting show in North America, I think that it is great that Cabela’s has decided to stand on principle.

  23. Looks like i will be ordering more stuff from cabelas, soon. They are building one not far away finally too. +2 for them!

  26. All for Cabeleas! I just got my weekly catalog in the mail today. It was all (well 80%+) tactical optics. They are all in with us. The catalog is full of photos of hunters using AR pattern rifles in camo on the hunt. I know we don’t want make the 2A about hunting, but having Cabelas proudly show that the guns they are trying to ban are legit hunting rifles is good support from a respected name.

    Cabelas is no wimpy Dick’s Sporting Goods.

    I support my local gun shops as much as possible, all else goes to Cabelas or Midway…

    BTW, they have not raised their ammo prices at all even as they totally ran out of almost everything!

    BTW, as an NJ prisoner, I drive 90 minutes to Cabelas a couple times a year. They were smart enough to drop plans for a NJ store a couple years ago….

  27. Thank you, Cabelas! Their Hoffman Estates store north of Shicago has had to be scaled down because they are at a largely anti gun location, but there are many of us who shop there regularly. Their prices are excellent and the service is far better than what the Dicks (pun wholly intended) offer. This will send more business Cabelas’s way.

  29. I have a .54 caliber plains rifle style muzzle-loader that is a Cabelas house brand – I don’t think they actually sell them under their own brand name anymore – it is made by the same manufacturer as, and is nearly identical to, a Lyman. Never really cared much about the brand name before but now, in appreciation for their principled stance, I’ll be sure to tell people that I have a Cabelas rifle.

  30. If I were a sporting goods retailer, like Cabelas I would withdraw from the show too. Why show support for a bunch of money-grubbing wimps?

  32. Don’t really need anything at Cabela’s – my ammo and mags are never in stock – but I am heading there now to spend some money.

    Go Cabela’s!!! Real Americans to the fore!!!

  33. Can’t say that I have ever been a real fan of cabelas. I don’t know why but I always find myself buying from bass pro shops. But after reading this I placed an order through cabelas and in the special info section I put their response from above and “thank you”. Didnt do it to punish BPS but if cabela supports us I will send some business their way.

  34. dicks better hope they can sell alot of golf stuff..because me and my friends and family will be shopping at cabelas from now on!!

  35. Way to go Cabela’s.
    Lots of people are pulling out.

    Bone Collector Michael Waddell posted “Me nor any of the BC team will be at the Eastern Sports Show in PA this year.”

  36. This is what this country needs is for Americans to stand up and ban together to protect our rights, the power is in numbers! way to go Cabela’s!

  37. I salute Cabelas for their decision to withdraw. Everyone should check out the smaller expos coming up in Pa. and go support them instead. To big organizers like Reed it is all about the allmighty dollar instead of our rights. I wish everyone would pull out of the expo and let their pockets empty.

  38. I applaud Cabela’s and all the other vendors. I imagine a boycott will firmly tell all the country that gun owners and sportsmen don’t like or want our 2nd Amendment tampered with. Cheers to all standing up to the unreasonable restrictions gun grabbing government and their supporters are trying to force upon us. Thanks Cabela’s for leading the way.

  39. I applaud Cabela’s and all the other vendors. I imagine a boycott will firmly tell all the country that gun owners and sportsmen don’t like or want our 2nd Amendment tampered with. Cheers to all standing up to the unreasonable restrictions gun grabbing government and their supporters are trying to force upon us. Thanks Cabela’s

  40. I applaud Cabela’s and all the other vendors. I imagine a boycott will firmly tell all the country that gun owners and sportsmen don’t like or want our 2nd Amendment tampered with. Cheers to all standing up to the unreasonable restrictions gun grabbing government and their supporters are trying to force upon us.

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