With so much to do and see at the upcoming San Diego Gun Show sponsored by USCCA, it can be overwhelming at first blush, especially if this is your first gun show. Just the exhibitors alone can be a lot, let alone all the other activities scheduled for you over the weekend.
Definitely walk the tables enjoy the interesting products, touch and feel the firearms brought for display, and chat it up with the friendly exhibitors. But, what else is at the gun show for a new gun owner? Here are some suggestions.
Check out the GUNS!
It is a gun show, so definitely stop by the gun shop tables. A lot of new pistols have been added to the California Gun Roster, so you can actually touch and feel modern firearms! In previous shows we were limited to the stale, 10 year old guns that were on the roster. Take a look at the latest offerings from SIG, Smith & Wesson, and more!
One thing that is different than other shows, is that all the gun exhibitors are local shops. Make sure to stop by and say hello!
Due to restrictions from the City of San Diego, all the gun shops are exhibiting at the show as display only tables. No commerce will take place at the show. If you are interested in purchasing a firearm, you will need to take care of that transaction at the vendor’s shop.
Donate Blood
The Second Amendment community is all about defending and protecting life. What better way to help save a life by donating a pint? Organized by the San Diego Blood Bank, the Bloodmobile will be at the gun show on Saturday from 8-1pm. A lot of the exhibitors and sponsors have teamed up to put together a great goodie bag for the blood donors!
Take an In-Person Class
Learn from Mike & Erin Pettengill, USCCA certified trainers from the Personal Protection Academy! A variety of classes are offered around medical training, firearm proficiency, and specialty courses. All of the courses are approximately 50 minutes.
Under the medical training topic, you can get your CPR AED certification from the Red Cross. You can also take the STOP THE BLEED course, an essential class for gun owners. If you’re learning how to poke holes, you should also learn how to patch them up. Also offered is a course on how to build a medical kit.
For the cost-conscious, the dry fire course is a great way to learn how to improve your shooting skills without the cost of ammo. CCW permit holders (or people interested in getting their CCW) would be well off to enroll in the Handgun Mastery or the Drawing from a Holster class.
A specialty course just for real estate agents is also offered, appropriately names Real Estate Agent Safety. Real estate agents often meet strangers in strange places at strange times. They should be educated and prepared to be able to defend themselves.
A course for church or synagogue security teams is also offered: How to identify a public threat. If you are, or if you know somebody that serves in a security team, this is a great course for them.
Enjoy a Symposium Speaker
Talks by experts, personalities, and thought leaders are available the whole weekend at the Gun Owners Symposium. Attend as many talks as you like, the Symposium presentations are included with the gun show admission.
There will be give aways (thank you Condor Outdoor!) and prize drawings, so you should make sure to attend at least one. USCCA will be bringing Gary Gibson to share the lessons learned from recent CCW cases in San Diego. Don’t miss out!
Also enjoy the free Red White & Bad Ass Brew coffee!
Take a look at the Symposium schedule and plan which talks you’re going to attend!
Visit the San Diego County Gun Owners table!
Stop by the San Diego County Gun Owners table and learn about what this organization is doing to protect and defend your Second Amendment rights. This is an active activist group, with lots of opportunities to participate and help educate and engage the community. Let’s face it, without your help, legislature will continue to chip and eat away your self defense rights. SDCGO makes activism easy!
You can also learn about the NOTMESD program, a program run by women, for women. Led by Desi Bergman, this program provides FREE assistance to any woman interested in learning how to use a firearm to protect herself against rape and domestic violence.
Buy a NOTMESD raffle ticket to win an AR-15
#NOTMESD is raffling ten (10) AR-15’s that was generously donated by an SDCGO member in support of the organization. But a ticket and you could win your pick of 10 AR-15’s that includes optics.
Purchase discounted training at the Training Deal Table
Next to the San Diego County Gun Owners table, the Training Deal Table offers discounted training from the areas’ top instructors. These deals are exclusively available to gun show attendees. Training for all levels is available, from beginners, to CCW holders, and even a Krav Maga course is available!
Test your skills at the Virtual Firearm Simulator
Phil Hughey from Shore Shot Oceanside is brining his virtual firearm simulator to the gun show! Now you can test your skills is this immersive simulation experience. How are your decision making skills when you’re under pressure? Find out at the San Diego Gun Show!
Have a drink at the Beer Garden
Saturday afternoon is the Beer Garden hosted by SEAL1. Enjoy a brew (or a drink) with old and new friends in the lower plaza.
Also, as a note, food will be available for purchase in the lower plaza as well for breakfast and lunch.
Join us for RED DAWN Movie Night!
Now is your chance to see John Milius’ masterpiece, Red Dawn on the BIG SCREEN! Wolverines! Sponsored by the San Diego Libertarian Party, the evening will not only include beverages and concessions, but we’ll also have prizes and give aways!
People that purchase their tickets before February 27 will be entered in a prize drawing for a Mantis X10 Elite, a PrairieFire Pistol Class, a GPS Tactical Range Backpack, a free hour at Shore Shot Firearms Simulator and a Tuffy Portable Safe!.
We’ll also have a prize drawing that includes a Heritage Roughrider 22LR Revolver, generously donated by a SDCGO member, and MORE!
Visit the Mini Car Show!
So much to do and see! Visit the mini car show to experience the unique blend of automotive engineering and craftsmanship, which parallels the precision and design found in firearms. Take a picture of your favorite ride and tag us! #carshow at the #gunshow
Don’t forget to come back Sunday!
While the majority of the events are on Saturday, there’s still a lot to do and see. There’s still a full day of talks at the Gun Owners Symposium on top of all the exhibitors. Check out the cars, enjoy a burger in the lower plaza, sign up for the class you’ve been thinking about at the Training Deal Table, and enjoy hanging out with the Second Amendment community!
Have you gotten your San Diego Gun Show ticket yet? Buy your ticket now!
