Gun Shows began in the USA & were transported across the Pacific by Ken Burton of Sydney, truly a pioneer and entrepreneur, in the early 1970’s. They spread interstate, arriving in Queensland in the late 1970’s.
Queensland, then had NO gun registration, NO Licencing, this was regarded as the ‘Happy Times’.

In 1980, two likely lads, believing in private enterprise, commenced the organisation of said Gun Shows, now known officially as Arms Fairs, and formed The Historical Collectors Coterie. Success was immediate. The venue being the Brisbane Table Tennis Hall. 4400 people attended and gun dealers took $30,000 before lunch on Saturday. Chubb was hired to transport the money.

We were evicted from the BTTA by the Brisbane City Council in 1992 ( No guns on BCC property!!), we also outgrew the venue for our gun show. We departed quietly.

We took up residence and recommenced our gun show at the John Reid Pavilion RNA, where we stayed for 18 years in spite of the RNA’s extemely difficult attitude. The Happy Times ended in 1996. Finally the RNA made it impossible to stay, together with the planned future developments of the RNA grounds, we were forced to move, and move we did to the most splendid REDBANK COLLINGWOOD PARK SPORTS COMPLEX, cnr Collingwood Drive & Smiths Rd, REDBANK.

FUTURE

The future of Gun shows? Well, it is limited, dealers are retiring, the Internet is very accessible far guns, militaria. At least at Arms Fairs you can feel, touch, smell your item of interest. Changing Legislation is a never-ending concern, and, we feel, that will be the cause of the demise of Gun Shows. The future is limited for Shows as we know them today.

We see Arms Fairs containing antique/collectable firearms (non-registerable), modern gun parts, gun accessories – scopes etc, re-loading equipment, brass, projectiles, safes, books and militaria offering a vast assortment of collectables.

Our policy is NO bric-a-brac, no antique furniture, no coloured glass at the gun show, just Guns, Gun related & militaria. We are of the old school.

Our Arms Fairs are happy shows. Always have been and always will be.
The Dealers receive only the highest quality of insults.
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