patriotic family posing together with american flag and patriotic balloons

Family-Friendly Activities to Enjoy at Gun Shows

Your local Midwest Arms Collector family-friendly gun show is the perfect weekend getaway. Held in comfortable local event spaces, exhibition halls, and fairgrounds, it’s the perfect place to introduce your kids to guns, teach them about their rich Second American Heritage, and shop in one of the most unique retail environments you’ll find anywhere. Whether you’re interested in starting a family shooting hobby or just want a place out-of-the-ordinary that offers something for everyone, you need to be ready for gun show weekend. 

A Great Place to Buy, Sell, and Trade Guns

Alongside vendors from around the region, we give equal footing to private citizens who want to make room in their safe for a new firearm. This gives you a broader selection of new and used firearms to choose from. It’s also part of our commitment to helping communities build a deeper network of freedom-loving Americans who support each others’ right to keep and bear arms. There are more reasons than just gun shopping to make a family-friendly gun show part of your regular weekend family activities.

Something for Everyone

When we say there’s something for everyone at one of our events, we mean it. Every show is different, with unique finds that won’t make it to the next stop. As your friends and neighbors rent tables and vendors change along with their stock, the only thing you can be certain of is that it’s never the same show twice. This one-of-a-kind retail space gives you a place to find just about anything you’ve been looking for, all under one roof.

Arts & Crafts

The traditional craftsmanship from yesteryear isn’t gone. It’s just not found at your local department store. From custom wood cabinets to quilts, knitted blankets, and beautiful ceramics, we give the handiest neighbors from your local communities a place to sell their crafted goods to the public. 

Handmade and bespoke items make great gifts, help you decorate your house, and can turn into family heirlooms that will be passed down for generations. It’s also an opportunity to introduce a deeper level of self-sufficiency and perseverance to your kids by letting them see what can be accomplished when you put your mind and effort into making real goods with your own two hands.

Collectibles

A table full of collectible items such as stamps, toys, and coins

A family-friendly gun show is a great place to start your journey as a collector or find the pieces your collection is missing. Alongside rare guns, you’ll find collectible knives, coins and currency, stamps, militaria, Disneyana, old watches, and more. Collectible vendors know gun owners have money, recognize value, and are passionate individualists. In short, they know what they like, and they go after it. If you want the family fun to last after the show, while you look at guns, have your kids start browsing for items you can collect together, strengthening your family bond as you teach them something you’re passionate about.

Outdoor Essentials

You don’t have to be a hunter to love the outdoors. Whether your outdoor adventures involve stalking bucks, climbing mountains, fishing, or hiking, we’ve got you covered. You’ll find camouflage in a variety of patterns, tents, outdoor blades, backpacks, rods, reels, and more. It’s everything your Scout will need for their next merit badge or that you’ll need for a family camping trip that leaves the city behind for a weekend in nature.

Toys & Games

If the kids get bored with guns, this will get them going. You’ll find a lot of toys at our family-friendly gun shows. New toys, old toys, collectible toys, and those that have been “well-loved” in their time. This isn’t just a chance for the kids to have fun. You’re sure to see lunchboxes, dolls, and action figures that jog some good memories of a simpler time.

Educational Opportunities

One of the best parts of promoting local gun shows is the chance it gives us to be a part of educating the next generation about their shared American history and freedoms. Let’s face it. Firearms and their place in American history aren’t considered “polite” conversation in some circles, and very few school systems or youth organizations will cover the topic outside of their use in war. Family-friendly gun shows focus on the legal civilian ownership and use of guns by everyday Americans for protection, food, and sport, including family shooting activities.

Teaching Kids About Guns

Kids gun safety is one of the most important topics you can talk about as a family in a household that owns guns or if your child may come into contact with guns at a friend’s or family member’s home–so every kid. Gun shows are a prime educational resource for teaching gun safety to kids, whether you have a gun in the household or not.

On our sales floor, you’ll find guns of almost every make and manufacture. Talk to your children about different features and identifying characteristics, basic operations, and general gun safety guidelines. Many of our vendors are parents as well, and they may be happy to let you offer a hands-on demonstration or join you in talking about the finer points of gun safety. It’s a well-lit, welcoming space with conspicuous professional security, so you can teach them more about firearms in a safe, protected environment.

History in Person

Pages of the constitution laid out with a gun on top of them

From Lexington and Concord to the Gun That Won the West and modern firearms that our military’s duty weapons are based on, our history is tied to firearms. You’ll find examples of famous historical guns and their evolutions at your local family-friendly gun show. Our vendors carry both authentic antique firearms and modern replicas so you can find your own way to own a piece of history. That means it’s also a chance to let your kids see history in person.

Talk to them about the historical context of the time period. Explain how changes in weapons have helped our service members keep us free. Answer their questions about the guns they see and the part those guns played in creating the America we know and love. Introducing kids to guns as tools helps combat the fear they hear from other sources in their lives, like the media.

Kids Shooting Sports

Finally, the gun show is the perfect place to gauge their interest or talk to them about kids shooting sports and learning to use a firearm. Whether you plan on taking them hunting, skeet shooting, or just teaching them basic marksmanship to earn a badge, the gun show is a great opportunity to let them express their interest, teach them how to find the right gun for their sport, and find a gun you can buy to teach them with. 

Order Your Gun Show Tickets Online

Now is the time to plan a weekend trip to one of our family-friendly gun shows. There’s a show coming to a city near you. Circle the date on our gun show calendar and order your tickets to your next MAC Shows Gun Show today.

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