[Eric72]

Thank you for this post, Adam. In my opinion, reading it was time well spent.

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Trent: no hyperbole or sounding off to hear myself think, just throwing some cold water on the Clint Eastwood control fantasies about guns.

Most people are not capable of handling a gun in a stressful situation, let alone in a crowd. They are not trained and have no experience. The few times I've brandished my gun for self-defense reasons at home I've been scared crapless and not sure if I could have hit the side of a barn cleanly had the sight of a big-ass gun not scared off the miscreants. I was not in a crowd, either. Armed in public in a crowd is not a place for amateurs. If shows allow arms, I am far more afraid of some yahoo with a handgun firing wildly into the crowd than I am of anyone stealing cards at a card show.

The laws on the line between self-defense and criminally culpable homicide are very fine and nuanced, again not a place for amateurs to play sheriff. We covered it in law school and just scraped the surface. Most of the popular 'knowledge' about it is folktales. As someone else noted, you can't just shoot someone who stole something, nor are the 'stand your ground' laws in the states that have them as absolute as the fantasists claim.

Now, taking on the topic of show security: I have promoted shows, set up at them, and attended them for nearly 50 years. I was asked into a group that wanted to run shows in LA and I opted not to join because of my concerns about security. It is just a matter of time before the sneak thievery and car break-ins move to armed robbery of dealers or the Los Angeles specialty, the smash and grab flash mob robbery. I do not wish to be on the liability end of any of that.

Most shows I have set up at since COVID have been in municipal facilities patrolled actively by local PD. I think that is the best way to keep the crime to a minimum, visible and active law enforcement presence. If I wanted to promote a show again, it would only be in a facility where I could get police stationed inside and I would also insist on hiring off-duty police officers for additional security.

I completely agree that show attendees and dealers will have to consider paying for security to be part of their future ticket prices and overhead expenses. There is just too much money sloshing around shows to count on amateurs to deter the crime.