Badges? Badges?! We don’ need no steekin’ BADGES! (Come on…you would have been disappointed if I didn’t.) Yep. You see a lot of weird, wild, off-beat stuff here at the NRA Confab. And this product is on the list. A badge that looks just like the real ones, except this says something about “Concealed Handgun License.” Um. Okay. But having a badge and using a badge are two different things. So let’s say you’ve got one. NOW what?
Convention
Pittsburgh 2011 vs. Charlotte 2010. What a Difference a Year Makes.
Well, we’re at it again at the NRA show. And it’s about everything you’d expect – more exhibits, more speeches, more rallying the troops against those who would take away our 2nd Amendment rights. But there’s one big difference between this year and last. THIS year, you can actually carry at the NRA show. Whaaa?
The First TTAG Meet-up @ The NRA Confab
As you’ve probably already read, TTAG will be out in force, covering the NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits like GSR on a competition shooter’s hand. Or something. A number of the TTAG Armed Intelligencia have asked if we could have a meet-up for those of you attending, or who live in the greater Pittsburgh area. Which sounds like a great idea to us. (Truth to tell, in this age of the Internet, most of your humble correspondents have not met, face to face. Unless you count Apple’s FaceTime. Still. Whatever.)
TTAG Blogs the NRA Confab
Yes, the annual love fest that is the NRA’s meet n’ greet for the firearms faithful is coming up again this April, this time in Beautiful, Downtown Pittsburgh. (!) And TTAG will be there, in force to cover the event.
NRA Wrap-up: The Other Side Sounds [A Bit] Off
Since I’m trapped in a long metal cylinder busy defying gravity, and some fools thought it would be a good idea to give everybody with a computer access to free WiFi for the durration, I feel honor-bound to post something about my recent experiences at the NRA ConFab. Except I got nuthin.’ Tapped out. The well’s run dry. I’ve milked that puppy for all it’s worth and then some. Unless…
2010 NRA ConFab: Final Observations
As I get ready for my trip back to the real world, I thought I’d share a couple of observations about the NRA show. Keep in mind, this is my first NRA National Convention, but it’s not my first trade show. Not by a long shot. Also not my first gun show.
- This show is big. REALLY big. As in, Charlotte’s convention center could just barely contain it. They move it around from city to city, to give as many members a better shot at attending. But if it gets any bigger, I can see where they might have to stick it in Vegas – as they’re the only place that could handle a really huge show.
- Aside from a few showbiz quibbles, the NRA did a near-flawless job on the show. And I say that as somebody who’s now been on both sides of the desk – as an exhibitor and as a member of the press.
NRA versus Brady Campaign: Compare & Contrast
The NRA show just wrapped up this afternoon. It was a three-day event – a trade show/seminars/celebration of values. The average attendee spent a couple of hundred dollars to attend the show, including tickets for the two keynote events. If you’re a high-roller, you could drop an extra thou and get better seats. But you’d see the same event. The trade show was a huge part of the event. If you just wanted to see that for a single day, you’d spend a lot less. Well, to get in. (A new trend: people ordering goods from vendors via iPhone, Crackberry, etc.) Now let’s look at how the other side rolls. Here’s the details of The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence upcoming shindig . . .
Newt Gives a Fig About the 2nd.
You gotta hand it to the NRA. When a last-minute scheduling conflict prevented Sean Hannity from delivering tonight’s keynote address, who did they tap to take his place? Last year’s keynoter, Glenn Beck. (For Conservatives, that’s like saying “hey…Thomas Paine had to cancel…but it’s okay. We got Patrick Henry to take his place.”) So who’s … Read more
Chuck Norris Rocks. And the Applebaums Know It.
We have a saying in the Lone Star State: “Don’t Mess With Texas.” In the rest of the free world, they say “Don’t Mess With Chuck Norris.” Nowhere is that sentiment stronger than in the hallowed halls of the NRA Convention. The Chuckster did a book signing today, with a waiting line that was easily … Read more