NRA meeting this weekend

No guns will be sold at the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Phoenix this weekend, but plenty of guns will be on display.

"You're going to have upwards in the thousands of products to look at and that doesn't even include accessories, lots of new products," said Ryan Hillaker with the Scottsdale Gun Club.

"A lot of nice stuff to look at, a lot of interactive displays," Hillaker said. "It's an opportunity for people to put their hands on a lot of manufacturers' products and test them and feel them and ask questions directly to the people who make the stuff."

He added, "If people have any questions about the way scopes or optics or triggers or things like that work, they have an opportunity to at least put hands-on in a dry-fire sense a lot of those products that they may be looking at in magazines."

Manufacturers are making sure people who find something they want can find a place to buy it in the Valley, Hillaker said.

"While they're displaying a lot of the firearms throughout the show, they are supporting a lot of the local Arizona businesses by making sure they have the product that they need so that they can redirect a lot of the customers at the NRA show to dealers in the area to get those products in their hands."

Some of the newest weaponry on the market will be on display, along with tons of accessories.

Hillaker said typical gun shows can't compare with the NRA's big event, which will draw thousands to the Phoenix Convention Center.

"It's a little bit more formally set up. A lot of the manufacturers spend anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 on their booths."

The three-day convention, from Thursday through Sunday, includes the 12th annual National Firearms Law Seminar. The day-long seminar is an opportunity for attorneys who represent firearms owners and firearms-related businesses to meet and discuss legal issues and theories relevant to that area of the law.

The convention includes various other seminars, an Air Gun Range and a Sportsmen's Auction. Speakers include retired Marine Col. Oliver North.

On Friday night, the NRA has invited the public to a free concert at the Arizona Center, featuring comedian T. Bubba Bechtol, the Drew Davis Band and country singers Kate and Kacey.

Convention events are open to the public, but most require tickets.

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I hope this helps bring more guns into the stores, because as of right now there are very few guns to buy and even less on the shelves s far as ammo goes!