Last year, organizers of one of the nation's largest outdoor shows tried to ban certain guns in the wake of the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. But the industry struck back with a boycott, and the Eastern Sports and Outdoor show was eventually canceled.
This year, it's back and bigger than ever.
Now called the Great American Outdoor Show, it stretches over nearly a million square feet in the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. It's also under new management — the National Rifle Association. But that doesn't mean the show is just about guns, says Todd Boyer, who enjoys hunting and came to the show from nearby York, Pa.
"It's not just hunting; it's not just fishing," Boyer says. "It's recreational shooting, it's hunting, it's fishing — everything's included."
"I see a little more, at least in my opinion, a little more of the [assault rifle]-style stuff than I did before," he adds. "I think always more is better, so it's nice to see a variety."
This is the first exhibition show the NRA has ever run. A lot of it is still the same — lots of booths advertising hunting trips, taxidermy, fishing expeditions, and all the accessories one would need.
But there is one big change — the NRA added a shooting sports hall, with more national gun manufacturers. Jeremy Greene of the gun rights group says others shouldn't be fearful their favorite exhibitor will be chased away.
"We're not trying to turn this into a gun show," Greene says. "It's going to maintain hunting, and archery and fishing and camping and boating and RV exhibits, but we're really excited about bringing a shooting sports hall with national manufacturers to showcase their full line of products to attendees."
He says the NRA wants to use the Great American Outdoor Show as a chance to show a different side to the gun rights group, one focused on education and outdoor activities.
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