Gun shows

[Bill]

After visiting a couple of gun shows I am concerned about some of those purchasing Auto weapon, knifes, etc.

I was watching one fellow explain to a young person how he could strap a double edge 6" knife to his ankle and was able to draw it. This person was dressed in a gangish way. ( I am not sure exactly what that is )

Another fellow upon leaving the event was standing against the GRB wall posing with his new AR 15 while his friend took phone photos. Here again they looked like young gang members.

Am I just paranoid or has anyone felt they same

[propellerhead]

It's a tough call. There are many decent kids that get into the gangsta' look and just dress the part but still have to go home to do chores and homework. I very seldom tuck my shirt in and that just screams homeless vagrant in some people's eyes.

[jrosto]

At the Market Hall gun show following Katrina, I noticed a few folks purchasing firearms with the FEMA cards. At first I was taken aback, but then reason prevailed. If I had lost everything in a disaster, and was relocated to a new city, one of the first major purchases I made would be a firearm for defense.

Many of the fine folks on this and other gun boards post pictures of themselves and their new firearms. The fact that folks in different social/economical situations than ourselves dress and act differently, does not make them any less deserving of the right to keep and bear arms.

I would argue that those living in lower income, crime ridden neighborhoods have more need of a good firearm or other means of self defense than most on this board.

[jimlongley]

When my wife purchased her PPKS, she insisted on having a picture taken with it - and she is far from being a gang-banger (though she did ride with a biker gang in her misspent youth.)

[casselthief]

ask GC what he thinks of the "Gangsta" lookin' folks!

yeah, I'm prolly on the other end of the spectrum as the gangstas.
I went to the Market Hall GunShow wearing my HeadCharge shirt one day, and a MushroomHead shirt, the next.
If I had a dollar for every soccer mom that asked me which Gun Manufacture HeadCharge was.....

I think when we stop judging someone on the clothes they wear and what not, we'll be making some serious strides.
we SHOULD be judging them on whether they bought a Glock or a 1911, right???

[Big_Hitter]

Am I just paranoid or has anyone felt they same

I noticed those kids too - were you there on Saturday?

They gave me the creeps but there were plenty of folks with badges around so I wasn't too worried

[hi-power]

...wearing my HeadCharge shirt one day, and a MushroomHead shirt, the next.

YIKES!

On the other hand, when I was younger, I wore the hardest metal band shirts I could find and had long hair. I was also stopped and questioned by police...a lot. Young kid with rough clothes and a fast car. But I hardly ever got sideways with the law.

My nephew is in a band that plays music that would make your ears bleed, and is trying to get signed on a Christian label. He was in the Young Republican's club in college. He's one of the best and brightest young people I know, but a stranger couldn't tell any of that by how he looks on any given day.

It's hard not to make some sort of judgment on a person based on his looks, but it's certainly not fair to let that be your only source of input. I like to think I'd give a person the benefit of any doubt about their character until I received more information. (I know, it's easy to say but doing it is another thing). I can't say I've always done that or that one or two people haven't creeped me out just by their looks.

[casselthief]

It's hard not to make some sort of judgment on a person based on his looks, but it's certainly not fair to let that be your only source of input. I like to think I'd give a person the benefit of any doubt about their character until I received more information. (I know, it's easy to say but doing it is another thing). I can't say I've always done that or that one or two people haven't creeped me out just by their looks.

oh, absolutely.
and you have to take in to consideration other factors as well.
I'm well groomed (I mean, I bathe regularly), I don't smell like a homeless bum, those types of things add to one's appearance.
If a guy with a scraggly beard, worn clothes, and an "odor" approaches me, I'm most certainly going to be on edge.
if he's smiling, uses friendly language, and makes eye contact, most folk are going to be less apprehensive. maybe he just got off the tractor and needs a hand.
I come rolling up on somebody I don't know, I'm not going to do anything off-hand, either, because I realize that in today's society earrings, beards, and metal-band shirts are still looked upon as "junkie scumbag" uniforms.
ah, well, que ser a, right?

[HighVelocity]

Why waste money on soap and new clothes when you could buy more guns instead?? I don't see a problem here.

[casselthief]

Hoppe's is a type of cologne, right?

[Smokewagon]

Hoppe's is a type of cologne, right?

Nah, thats Sweet's Australian 7.62 your thinkin' about.

[Venus Pax]

I realize that we can't fully judge someone by their outward appearance, but it is certainly should play a part in our sizing up of a potential threat.

There are certain types of dress associated with criminal behavior. We all know that. Allow the dress to catch your attention, but then watch the kid's behavior. The gang-bangers often have a suspicious behavior to accompany the clothing. Other teens, however, choose to dress this way to get attention or because they believe it's attractive, but display normal, functional behavior. (I see it everyday at school.)

Certainly look at the clothes. It is a part of the image an individual wants to portray. But look even closer at the person's behavior.

[Stupid]

I did see a few hot chicks. There's a hot policewoman I was about to hit on.