January 23, 2013
Instinct Archery® chose to withdraw from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania this year. The show, produced by Reed Exhibitions, had been held every year in early February for over 30 years in Harrisburg, and became known as the largest consumer outdoors show in the eastern United States. Then, on December 12, 2012, 20 children and 6 adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut by a man with a semiautomatic rifle fitted with a high-capacity magazine. The shooting renewed the gun debate in the U.S., and in January 2013 Reed announced it was banning the sale and display of assault-style weapons and large-capacity ammunition. That news touched off a firestorm of opposition, which turned into a planned boycott, forcing Reed to cancel the show just a few days before it was scheduled to open.
