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In the aftermath of Colorado’s post-Newtown civilian disarmament legislation, the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) is joining Magpul, Hi Viz, the Ourdoor Channel and thousands of hunters in telling Colorado to piss off. Here’s the presser [via ammoland.com]:

Organizers of the Rocky Mountain Western States Regional IDPA Championship, initially scheduled to take place July 4-6 2013 in Montrose, Colorado, have announced that the match is being canceled in the wake of Colorado’s recently passed gun control laws. An estimated 300-plus shooters from the neighboring states and across the country were expected to attend the three-day competitive shooting event. This is the second shooting competition to abandon the state after a recent announcement by firearms maker Ruger that it was moving the 2013 Ruger Rimfire Challenge World Championship out of Colorado . . .

“With these new Colorado laws going into effect July 1, and based on the ambiguous way in which they were written, we have decided to cancel the Rocky Mountain Western States Regional IDPA Championship,” said event organizer Walt Proulx of Grand Junction.

“Due to the growing number of hunters and shooters choosing to boycott Colorado, and the risk that these laws as written will turn law-abiding citizens into criminals, we were left with no other choice but to cancel what was planned to be one of IDPA’s major regional championships, and one strongly supported by Montrose-area businesses.”

Cancellation of the Rocky Mountain Western States Regional adds to the negative economic impact resulting from the passage of Colorado’s recent gun control legislation. Already, Colorado-based firearms accessories manufacturer Magpul Industries Corp. has announced its intention to leave the state, and Michael Bane, an independent producer for the Outdoor Channel, has said he will cease production of four of the channel’s popular shooting programs in Colorado.

Hunters and shooters, as well as the firearms industry, play a major role in Colorado’s economy. According to data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, over $590 million in annual economic impact is generated by the firearms industry in the state while Colorado’s 259,200 hunters spend another $465 million annually.

For more information on IDPA visit www.IDPA.com. You can also follow the latest news from IDPA via @OfficialIDPA on Twitter, ShootIDPA on Facebook, IDPA TV on YouTube, and IDPA’s official blog, the DOWN ZERO Blog.

Read more at Ammoland.com: http://www.ammoland.com/2013/04/colorado-shooting-competition-canceled-in-wake-of-new-gun-control-laws/#ixzz2PJVhYb2D

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61 COMMENTS

  1. this one event being cancled will cost the locals millions (hotels, resturants, etc) and this is just 1 event

    • Millions of dollars? I doubt that . Maybe 100-s of thousands–it’s just a few hundred people and it’s only 3 days.

      Plus, shooters are notorious tightwads 😉

      • Yes, but if the cited numbers are correct, the sight of the drain-plug being pulled on a billion dollar money barrel, might still get some attention.

      • No, shooters traveling to the big events spend just as much as other sports enthusiasts. Gas, hotels, side events, extra ammo, not to mention other vacations or the knowledge to return next year and other events in this same year. Maybe not for this event, but certainly millions due to IDPA’s overall sport contribution.

        • 300 shooters?

          $500,000 plus in lost revenue to hotels, restaurants, gas stations & many other CO businesses.
          Every business likely to lose out through recent legislation needs to be appraised of what the gun grabbers are costing them, now & at the next elections.

  2. Feel bad for the business that will be hurt and who probably don’t support the new laws but they need to put pressure on their reps to fix their stupid laws or be more proactive to begin with so these don’t get passed.

  3. Come on guys…it’s for the children.

    (What’s $1 billion in lost revenue (590 + 465) to a gun grabber who is doing it only for the children…)

    • “(What’s $1 billion in lost revenue (590 + 465) to a gun grabber who is doing *to save only one child*)”

      *Fixed*

    • Even if you buy the 1 billion dollar lost revenue figure (I don’t–hunters aren’t all going to just up and leave), that’s only a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of Colorado’s annual state revenue (~$5-TRILLION in FY 2012).

      We may think companies like Magpul are making a stand but really it’s probably just cheaper for them to leave. They’re not sticking it to Colorado, they’re simply being forced out.

      • magpul has done joint projects with Scottsdale Gun Club. and Gabby isn’t involved in our guvmint. excellent distribution hub, massive population of constitutionally carrying gun enthusiasts that would love to churn out Pmags for any free states left. I don’t know why they wouldn’t want to set up shop here..

        • You just described the Great State Of Texas only we do it way, way bigger and better.

  4. People get the government they deserve. The politicians thought the chickens wouldn’t come home to roost, or wouldn’t be quite so obvious doing it. Too bad.

  5. Smooth move, ex-lax! I truly hate it for the people caught in the crossfire (so to speak), but this was inevitable, and money is the only language these slugs speak.

  6. But then I read that Colorado hunters are thrilled that all them out of staters won’t be coming and using up all the available tags, leaving more game for the locals. Some people just don’t get it.

    • A few selfish, short-term-thinking-only hunters may be thinking that, but the towns and small cities (eg., Durang0, Cortez) and guides are very unhappy. So is the Colorado DOW. This is their livelihood. Of course, maybe now they will put pressure on their legislators and Tom Remington, DOW director, to take a stand for freedom. I personally know a dozen Coloradoans who laughed at the prospect of this legislation passing while they sat on their hands. They are not laughing now.

      • I am a resident of CO, and a hunter. I did not approve of the recently passed gun control laws, and did write my representatives telling them so.

        It appears that pretty much all of us who opposed this legislation were ignored.

        Before everyone takes much stock in hunters boycotting Colorado and not hunting here anymore, most of them really won’t do it. They will still want their prized Elk tag, and the deadline for submission just passed today.

        My guess is you are reading about this boycott on-line from many internet ninja commandos, which is about as reliable as anything else you read on-line these days.

        The statistics of how many tags are issued for Fall Hunting will come out this summer, so wait and see how many actually are boycotting.

        Be that as it may, I for one would appreciate not having to trip over that many hunters in the fall, so boycott if you will, and if that is selfish and short-sighted, then so be it.

        • Hunted elk in Colorado the last 6 years with my daughter. Spent many 10’s of thousands. Already booked for Wyoming fall of this year & not looking back until the laws are changed. I won’t even drive through Colorado to get there. Chickenpooper won’t see a dime of my money again.

    • That’s a press controlled opinion. People who have a brain in their heads here are pissed. The sheer number of people who rallied against the legislation vs those who were for was a joke. Nearly no antis. There was one at the Tanner Gun Show a couple of times and some group in Boulder, once, for the magazine air lift event.

      The support for the 2nd Amendment was blatant and the numbers were huge. Damn these people that supported this unconstitutional travesty to take place. May they get what they deserve.

      I voted, wrote, called, donated, discussed and protested.

  7. Good hope they nail these fascist pigs in Denver by not giving them money. Hope CO falls under and is vacant forever.

    • I sent Robert an email with a link to a story in thoes regards. Colt representatives have not confirmed any definative plans to leave but also said it is a possability. My thoughts, they wont leave but it cant hurt to dream.

      • Beware any announced plans by Colt until you see the moving trucks show up with the factory equipment in them. Back in December 2011, there was an announcement that Colt would be opening a regional headquarters and manufacturing facility in Kissimmee, just south of Orlando. Osceola County dumped a quarter million dollars into refurbishing the building for Colt’s use (plus all the normal additional inducements, $1/year rent for 5 years and the like), with Colt to make a $2.5 million capital investment and start setting up shop by mid-2012. It’s now April 2013, and there’s no sign that Colt is moving anything down here, or possibly that they never intended to.

        Some theorize that the “move” was simply a bargaining chip in the ongoing fight with CT lawmakers about gun control (or maybe it was just about money), but it gave them something to point to and say, “We’ll do it! We’ll move! We’ve already got property picked out!” It’s possible that Florida lawmakers (both local and state level, including the Governor) took that bargaining chip and ran with it, maybe a little too far. It’s worth noting that at the press conference announcing the move, Rick Scott spoke, Osceola County officials spoke, and the people from Colt just stood in the back and smiled, but they did not step to the mic and say the typical “Osceola County looks like a great fit and we look forward to a long and productive relationship” type stuff that you usually hear at these things.

        It’s too bad, too, because there were a lot of people looking forward to them coming here.

  8. Dry em up. As an aside, I think its Stockton Cali that has so much crime they are going to raise taxes to hire more cops. They are paying the price,literally, for their stupidity, Randy

  9. While the hometown hunters may be happy for they will likely have more elbow room, and the politicians will be happy as they got what they thought they wanted, the financial reality may come back to bite the state in the @$$. Yes, gun stores will likely go out of business, furthering the Pols agenda, but as the gun store fares-so will others. Gun shows will split, as well as regional competitions because what’s the point? Follow that up with the financial struggle of the businesses that while not connected directly to guns, get a boost whenever something happens which is gun related. Be it the guides, the hotels, the convention centers, the restaurants, the sporting goods supply shops, the wildlife preserves, the private hunting grounds, the gun ranges, auto rental companies. The potential for the list of those on the losing end can be quite long. Add to this the companies who have already made a statement of intention to leave and those who have not smelled the coffee as of yet, removing jobs as they seek out greener pasture. Now envision the loss of sales and or income taxes that goes with the reduction of turnover. While the politicos and anti-2A folks may currently be patting themselves and each other on the back, the day of reckoning on their decision is bound to eventually rear its ugly head. When it does they will have none other to blame than the face in the mirror. Then they will likely have to face the wrath of the voter-who will know EXACTLY whom to blame, allowing those responsible to join the unemployment lines that they themselves created.

  10. While I fully support manufacturers picking up and moving out, I’m not sure how I feel about this.

    One of the things that this blog has spoken about frequently, is how the loss of a shooting tradition and culture in blue-states has accelerated the erosion of gun rights in those places. Doesn’t this merely accelerate that?

  11. Colorado’s economic output overall for 2011 was about $260 billion, just under 2% of the national economy. Not quite $5 trillion as one commenter claimed.

  12. As a Colorado resident, gun owner, and supporter of the second amendment I’m glad they canceled. I hope every single business in the industry cuts off the state completely until we repeal these BS laws. They just barely passed in the first place so if we can get just a small handful of 2A supporters in office in 2014 we can get the laws removed and a boycott of the state will help do that.

  13. Boycott the whole state buy no hunting, fishing licenses, dont go camping and dont buy a permit, dont renew your boat license and hit the fish and game or whatever they are called there in the ass. Put them in the unemployment line and the state can kiss our American asses.

  14. The voters of Colorado got what they deserve. They are the ones who decided to allow and support lawmakers who wish to legalize marijuana and restrict firearms. Not only will they lose any gun or gun accessory industry, any gun related events such as these competitions, but hunters as well. The politicians believe that marijuana is their savior, that they will be able to use their new and most likely short-term legal status to gain enough revenue and attract enough tourism to protect their state from financial downfalls in other area such as the firearms one. Colorado is a prime example of what a state government should not look like. They believe in freedom supposedly, in personal rights so much that they legalized marijuana for the people and at the same time restrict firearms and accessories. Of course the “for the people” line is BS, it’s about the money, everything leads back to god damn money, other peoples money. Colorado and it’s residents will pay dearly for their actions, all of them, they will suffer because of the state government they voted in. It all goes back to the people and their trust of government, it will bite them in the ass every damn time.

  15. I enjoy the heck out of shooting IDPA, just not in Colorado. Guess CO is out of the running to host a future national IDPA event, oh well, lots of other fine states that respect our Bill of Rights.

  16. Glad to see this happening. A former acquaintenance of mine once observed that “the shortest way to an A*^hole’s heart is through their wallet”. Since this socialist mob seems to have total disregard for facts, perhaps a little econmomic boycotting will get their greedy little attention.

  17. I’ve Pro2A and a snowboarding… we also plan a lot of trips with friends to CO during the winter… Looks like that WILL NOT BE HAPPENING ANY MORE!!!

  18. What amazes me the most that all of this is an affront to the will of the masses. The politicians are going to have more people unprotected, less income for states, less jobs for the people, more injured, robbed, raped, and killed over a lack of forethought and insight. California, Detroit, and New York are prime examples of how Gun Restrictions are counter productive in preventing more crime. Pure willful stupidity….

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