Gun show comes to fairgrounds this weekend
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
The Northwest Gun Show will return to the Commercial Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds March 8-9.
FILE PHOTO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | March 3, 2025 2:40 AM
MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Fairgrounds will be the place to be March 8-9 for firearms enthusiasts, both serious buyers and the folks who just like to look.
“I have dealers that come in and set up and (others) are just collectors,” said promoter Reon Warren, owner of Northwest Gun Shows, which puts on the show twice a year at the Grant County Fairgrounds. “They're not really dealers, per se. They like to come in and talk guns and show off what they have.”
Northwest Gun Shows has been putting on these shows in Moses Lake in March and September for about 10 years, Warren said.
“Our spring shows are usually more heavily attended than the fall,” Warren said. “I think that's partially due to tax refunds.”
There are usually between 100 and 120 tables set up with all manner of firearms and knives, coming close to filling the 12,000-square-foot Commercial Building, Warren said.
“There’ll be guns, ammo, knives, collectibles, anything from modern to antique firearms and black powder,” he said.
Given that gun laws can be stringent, especially in Washington, Northwest Gun Shows is scrupulous about safety and observing the legalities. The gun dealers who actually sell at the show are all federally licensed, Warren said. Anyone wanting to buy a gun will have to have proof of having taken a firearm safety class, and there’s a 10-day hold on guns purchased.
Security is also a priority, said Fairgrounds Manager Jim McKiernan. The fairgrounds aren’t directly involved in the show; they just rent the venue.
“It's extremely safe,” McKiernan said. “It’s done really well. He (Warren) is very good at what he does … They provide insurance and they have overnight security that actually stays on-site to make sure nobody messes (with anything).”
Despite the show’s popularity, Warren said Washington’s tightening firearm laws are taking a toll on the show. In 2023 the state placed some heavy restrictions on the sale or transfer of what the law defines as “assault rifles,” although Warren said a more appropriate name is “modern sporting rifles.” Several gun stores in Washington, including one in Moses Lake, sued the state in May 2023 on constitutional grounds, but did not prevail. Those laws have had a negative effect on the turnout for the Northwest Gun Show, Warren said, to the point that he may have to cut his schedule down to one Moses Lake show a year.
“I've been doing two shows a year for 10 years there, and this is the first time I probably will not do a fall show, just because the demand has dropped off so much,” he said. “It's getting to where I can't get vendors to come in I used to sell out the tables, 125 tables, I was turning guys away, but not anymore. It's gotten very difficult.”
Nevertheless, Warren said, the folks who come to the show can expect some interesting finds.
“They all have some unique stuff,” he said.
Moses Lake Gun Show
March 8-9
Grant County Fairgrounds
3953 Airway Drive NE, Moses Lake
Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
$10 adults, under 12 free
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
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