Organizers cancel gun show in Las Vegas

Organizers of the Eastside Cannery Casino Gun Show, which was scheduled for this weekend, have canceled the event.

Boyd Gaming Corp. spokesman David Strow said Thursday that canceling the show was “a mutual decision” between gun show organizers and Boyd Gaming, which acquired Las Vegas assets of Cannery Casino Resorts last December.

It didn’t seem “prudent” to go on with the show, Strow said, in light of the mass shooting Sunday, in which Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and injured 489 others before killing himself, according to Las Vegas police.

Gun show organizers did not return a request for comment.

Lynn Templeton, co-founder of Crossroads of the West, said she and her team are considering whether to cancel a gun show planned for Oct. 21-22 at Cashman Center. They are speaking with Cashman Center and advertisers, she said, adding, “We won’t really know (if we’re going to cancel the show) until Monday.”

Separately, a representative with the National Shooting Sports Foundation declined to comment on the annual SHOT firearms industry trade show. This year, the show is at Sands Expo and Convention Center from Jan. 23-26.

Attendance totaled about 65,000 people in January 2017.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of all those killed and injured in the criminal attack in Las Vegas,” spokesman Mike Bazinet said. “Out of respect for the families of the victims and the law enforcement process, we are not going to comment or participate in media requests made relating to this attack.”

Organizers of the Texas Station Casino Gun Show, hosted by Western Trails Gun & Knife Shows, did not return a request for comment. The Texas Station Casino Gun Show is slated to run Nov. 4-5.

Contact Nicole Raz at nraz@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Follow @JournalistNikki on Twitter. Contact Wade Tyler Millward at wmillward@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4602. Follow @wademillward on Twitter.