New EastCoast Arms Collectors Associates, NEACA, Inc., is returning to the Chenango County Fairgrounds in Norwich with their ever popular Arms Fair the weekend of May 30 & 31. This is the second Gun Show produced by Cathy & David Petronis in the Exhibition Hall and will follow the Memorial Day weekend events the same as their first show did in 2014. Nearly 100 tables of exhibitors can be accommodated in the exhibit hall.

The central area of New York State has a tradition of farming and hunting but there are also those who would take away your right to own and collect guns. There are also those who defend that right and we at NEACA seek to protect our Second Amendment through promotion of our Arms Fairs across the northeast. You too, can help protect our Constitution by coming to our show and supporting our collectors and exhibitors.

Take a walk through history while perusing vintage sporting arms, investment grade firearms or new and used guns, knives and accessories. Our exhibitors will also be offering to buy, sell or trade military souvenirs, used or antique guns and collectibles and items from our many wars & conflicts. This is where you can find and actually purchase a relic from our historic past. And, our dealers would like to perhaps see and purchase what you may decide to bring into our show.

Whether your interest is with vintage firearms, swords or knives, in building a bayonet collection or simply one of pins and patches from WWI or WWII our exhibitors have items for your perusal. Fantasy swords to hand crafted knives will be there; hunting arms and accessories will be available as well as night vision optics, targets and all sorts of scarce ammunition to feed your collection or your firearms. This show is not to be missed and we encourage a family outing to show your support of our right to keep and bear arms.

Many politicians and dignitaries have also attended our well run Arms Fairs in Saratoga Springs, Utica and elsewhere such as our NYS Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, who at Saratoga said, “the safest place to buy a gun is at our gun show.” NEACA has worked with the AG’s office to develop and maintain high safety standards at gun shows across NY State and now all promoters follow those guidelines set forth.

Within our gun show events all state and federal laws are followed and all modern firearms purchasers are required to go through an FBI background review; this is known as the National Instant Criminal System background check, or NICS. Each Federal Firearms Licensed exhibitor can perform this quick and easy check over a secure phone line which generally takes just a few minutes. It is now illegal in the State of New York to try to buy or sell a modern firearm without the aid of a FFL dealer to perform a NICS check of the purchaser. For a small fee, we offer this service at our show to those individuals who wish to bring their firearm to the show and offer it for sale to the public; there is no fee if sold to a FFL dealer.

The NY Safe-Act now has many folks in our state upset over the myriad of new laws the act imposed. However, this is what we must live by until that Act is either amended, overturned or abolished. There will be a table at this show offering voting registration forms and information regarding the folks who would like to abolish the Safe-Act. We at NEACA and the majority of hunters, gun owners and Second Amendment supporters we know, would like this act repealed.

We are not against sensible gun laws and actually, there are some good points to the Safe-Act such as attempting to keep firearms out of the hands of mentally ill people; and we have no problem with a general background check as has been federal law for quite some time. But, a background check on .22 ammunition purchases and regulations prohibiting individual firearms sales is stretching the limit of regulations designed to keep citizens safe. We do not feel any safer but rather overly infringed upon!

Our NEACA shows are safe, popular and well attended. Recently at one of our NEACA Saratoga Springs Arms Fairs we were honored by a visit from former Arizona Congresswoman, Gabby Giffords and astronaut husband Mark Kelly. My wife, Cathy, and I had a very nice conversation with them while visiting their first gun show since Gabby was shot by a “deranged” gun man. We, as they do, want to keep guns out of the hands of troubled individuals, because usually they are the perpetrators of violent shootings, not the great majority of law abiding gun owners.

So, come one and all to our Arms Fair this May 30 & 31 and perhaps bring something to sell or trade with our exhibitors, talk to the dealers who are gun smiths or run shooting ranges, see the new hunting scopes and accessories, buy the hard to find ammunition and targets for your practice and talk to the politicians who will defend our rights, mine and yours, to continue to keep and bear arms as our Second Amendment guarantees. And certainly, don’t forget to register and vote to protect your rights on Election Day.

More show information is available at NEACA.com.

David Petronis, President
Cathy Petronis, Secretary/Treasurer
NEACA, Inc.
38 North Main Street
Mechanicville, NY 12118
518-664-9743