Your local Midwest Arms Collector Gun Show is the perfect place to see the evolution of guns and get your hands on a piece of history. Guns and accessories have changed over the years. Recognized by the Second Amendment as a vital right for a free people, private gun ownership has driven manufacturers to offer better ways for us to hunt, hone our skills, and defend ourselves, loved ones, and property. Whether you’re looking for a gun that gets you in touch with days past or a sidearm that will keep you safer long into the future, our events are a great place to buy, sell, and trade firearms of all types.
While the Second Amendment went into effect with the rest of the Bill of Rights in 1791, it would be over one hundred years before the first recognized gun show occurred. Until that point, firearms sales were conducted between private citizens, at local stores selling firearms along with other general goods, or through the mail. There was little-to-no federal regulation, and local regulations usually focused–at most–on ensuring peaceful towns by stipulating how and when guns could be carried.
It wasn’t uncommon for towns in some areas of the “Wild West” to ask visitors to check their guns with the sheriff when entering the town and pick them up when they left. It also wasn’t uncommon for this practice to be ignored or for no limitation to be placed on carrying a weapon, just the conduct of the individual carrying it. Guns evolved as tools of survival, leading them to be a ubiquitous part of the landscape and a commodity that could be purchased almost anywhere you bought ranch supplies, hunting gear, or groceries.
The first gun show–which would now be considered more akin to trade events like the SHOT Show–was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden. The nation’s biggest and most storied manufacturers came together to create a sportsmen’s paradise, with firearms from Colt, Remington, Winchester, and others showing the evolution in gun design over the years. Future shows allowed private collectors to show off both the civilian guns in their collections and military models brought home from Europe as war spoils.
The evolution of gun shows continued as more and more businesses and private individuals used these weekend-long events to buy, sell, and trade guns and accessories. Modern gun shows continue this tradition by welcoming gun owners and collectors of all types as well as the firearms they love–historical, sporting, collectible, and tactical. Along the way, these events have become a valuable resource for the firearms community, offering education, training opportunities, and the chance to connect with gun owners and industry professionals while you shop for guns and accessories.
When you walk into your local gun show, it’s a new experience every time. We draw gun and accessory vendors from around the country, local gun service and training professionals, and community crafters together to make every show different. You’ll see plenty of guns from America’s past and today’s hottest sellers, which also makes it a great chance to share our uniquely American history with the next generation.
Traditional frontier muzzle-loading rifles helped settlers and frontiersmen keep food on the table and protect themselves when civilization was days away. These primitive firearms are the evolution of the guns that made America: colonial muskets. Powder, patch, and ball are loaded into the barrel, rammed home with a long rod, and the powder is ignited by either a percussion cap or flint and steel.
This style of firearm remained the standard through the Civil War, with both pistols and long guns slowly improving with advances in metallurgy and engineering. Modern metallic-style cartridges, still filled with low-powered black powder, gained popularity post-war due to the efficiency of breech-loaded weapons compared to their muzzle-loading counterparts. Perhaps the most notable examples of these guns are the Colt Peacemaker and the Winchester lever-action repeating rifles.
By the early 1900s, breech-loading guns firing metal cartridges were the standard weapons for both civilian and military use. As troops returned from World War I and World War II, they not only wanted firearms as effective as the ones that had beaten back Germany but also wanted to show off the guns they returned home with, including bolt-action carbines and rifles, revolvers, and semi-automatic handguns.
While our Second Amendment was always meant to allow for a well-armed and disciplined civilian militia, this took on new importance as America faced the threat of expanding communism. The evolution of guns quickened to arm a military that could river the power of Soviet Russia, Red China, and closer to home, Cuba, as well as in proxy conflicts around the world. Civilian guns and accessories kept pace, culminating with the most popular firearm of all time, the AR-15, and a healthy aftermarket upgrade and gear market to support it.
Contemporary firearms offer the current peak of engineering and manufacturing technology. Many are purpose-built to fulfill a specific role–shooting competitions, hunting, or self-defense–or are built to make gun customization easier. You’ll find a broad range of manufacturers and models represented by the guns and accessories at your local gun show. Whether you’re looking for a low-cost firearm that fits your budget or a top-of-the-line model that shows off how far the evolution of guns has brought us, it’s waiting for you at a vendor table.
You’ll also find generations worth of gun expertise to help you shoot better and protect your right to keep and bear arms. This includes training professionals to help you get your concealed carry permit or improve your tactical skills, local gun clubs to give you a supportive community and range access, and attendees who have spent their lives around firearms, feeding their families, serving our country, and protecting our communities. You’ll find historical re-enactors who can help you appreciate the evolution of guns first-hand and gun rights organizations to help you organize and support legislative action to support legal gun ownership.
Now is the time to plan your weekend trip and get ready to browse and trade with other gun-loving Americans. Check our gun show calendar to find the next show near you. It’s coming up soon. Buy your tickets online to your next MAC Shows Gun Show today.
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