They actually backed down and stopped those ridiculous exclusivity threats. I still cannot believe it worked after all that back and forth but we really did it and now everyone can breathe a little easier at these events. Lets just keep an eye on things because habits like that do …
February 15, 2022
Final supporters
The escalated illegal business practices of Khaled Akkawi, the owner of Shoot Straight Gun Ranges, after acquiring the suncoast gun shows and victor bean gun shows and merging them under Florida gun shows, inc has now impacted competitor gun shows and exhibitors;
- by practicing unfair trade practices violating Florida statue 501.204, threatening exhibitors, if they do a competitors show they will be kicked out of Khaled Akkawi's gun shows. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_...
- by violating Federal Anti Trust Laws "Refusal To Deal" https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/single-firm-conduct/refusal-deal
Khaled Akkawi, has taken the original owners illegal policies of spying on local competitors gun shows and kicking out any exhibitors caught doing a competitors gun show but has stepped it up drastically sending his Shoot Straight employees to all competitor shows for no other reason but to gather what exhibitors are present. Then he calls the exhibitor, offers them tables at one of his shows through out the state of Florida, but advises them they must stop exhibiting at competitor shows. If we can accumalate enough signatures we can have each of the following counties/cities stop renting the venue to Khaled Akkawi; Dade County Fairgrounds, Central Florida Fairgrounds, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Florida State Fairgrounds, Lee Civic Center, War Memorial Auditorium, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Lakeland Center
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
December 31, 2021
December 29, 2021
I was just checking the dashboard and the number is creeping up again but we really need a massive surge to hit that next goal before I walk into the next meeting. If you can just blast this link out to your own circles or even just one person who deals with these shows it would honestly change everything for us right now because sitting still is just not an option.
Reached 100 supporters
July 9, 2015
82 Comments
Khaled Akkawi has displaced the God Syndrome on a smaller scale just at his gun show tables in the past. Now he is doing it on a larger scale trying to muscle out smaller vendors and honest competition. It looks like unfair labor practices to me. Fair competition is always a good thing.
Forming a trust based around small vendors and using your chain of businesses to control and create a non-compete structure are both immoral and illegal!
I got kicked out for doing shows in the same city as his shows.....I know the shows are private but I am already a vendor and he purchased two different gun show companies and I only had a conflict with one. Not fair!
It's unfair to make small business owners be tied into only one show. This is a major source of their income. There is more than enough buying power among gun lovers to allow everyone to show a profit.
This is insane. If you don't think your shows can compete with other shows and you have to threaten exhibitors then you need to rethink your business plan.
ripped us off on sale of firearms
One of his employees at Shoot Straight actually tried to scam me out of $200+, thinking I wouldn't read all the paperwork they were throwing in front of me. Would love to see Shoot Straight go out of business entirely. It's a shame so many gunshows are ran by them.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
They actually backed down and stopped those ridiculous exclusivity threats. I still cannot believe it worked after all that back and forth but we really did it and now everyone can breathe a little easier at these events. Lets just keep an eye on things because habits like that do …
February 15, 2022
Final supporters
The escalated illegal business practices of Khaled Akkawi, the owner of Shoot Straight Gun Ranges, after acquiring the suncoast gun shows and victor bean gun shows and merging them under Florida gun shows, inc has now impacted competitor gun shows and exhibitors;
- by practicing unfair trade practices violating Florida statue 501.204, threatening exhibitors, if they do a competitors show they will be kicked out of Khaled Akkawi's gun shows. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_...
- by violating Federal Anti Trust Laws "Refusal To Deal" https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/single-firm-conduct/refusal-deal
Khaled Akkawi, has taken the original owners illegal policies of spying on local competitors gun shows and kicking out any exhibitors caught doing a competitors gun show but has stepped it up drastically sending his Shoot Straight employees to all competitor shows for no other reason but to gather what exhibitors are present. Then he calls the exhibitor, offers them tables at one of his shows through out the state of Florida, but advises them they must stop exhibiting at competitor shows. If we can accumalate enough signatures we can have each of the following counties/cities stop renting the venue to Khaled Akkawi; Dade County Fairgrounds, Central Florida Fairgrounds, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Florida State Fairgrounds, Lee Civic Center, War Memorial Auditorium, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Lakeland Center
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
December 31, 2021
December 29, 2021
I was just checking the dashboard and the number is creeping up again but we really need a massive surge to hit that next goal before I walk into the next meeting. If you can just blast this link out to your own circles or even just one person who deals with these shows it would honestly change everything for us right now because sitting still is just not an option.
Reached 100 supporters
July 9, 2015
82 Comments
What is happening here is shoot straight has created a mobile store by pushing away competitors at the shows. More and more floors pace has been used by them to the point that some shows have been nearly half shoot straight alone. This severely impacts smaller companies that do not have multiple locations spread statewide and depend on shows like these to keep things afloat
Khaled Akkawi has displaced the God Syndrome on a smaller scale just at his gun show tables in the past. Now he is doing it on a larger scale trying to muscle out smaller vendors and honest competition. It looks like unfair labor practices to me. Fair competition is always a good thing.
Forming a trust based around small vendors and using your chain of businesses to control and create a non-compete structure are both immoral and illegal!
I got kicked out for doing shows in the same city as his shows.....I know the shows are private but I am already a vendor and he purchased two different gun show companies and I only had a conflict with one. Not fair!
It's unfair to make small business owners be tied into only one show. This is a major source of their income. There is more than enough buying power among gun lovers to allow everyone to show a profit.
This is insane. If you don't think your shows can compete with other shows and you have to threaten exhibitors then you need to rethink your business plan.
ripped us off on sale of firearms
One of his employees at Shoot Straight actually tried to scam me out of $200+, thinking I wouldn't read all the paperwork they were throwing in front of me. Would love to see Shoot Straight go out of business entirely. It's a shame so many gunshows are ran by them.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
What is happening here is shoot straight has created a mobile store by pushing away competitors at the shows. More and more floors pace has been used by them to the point that some shows have been nearly half shoot straight alone. This severely impacts smaller companies that do not have multiple locations spread statewide and depend on shows like these to keep things afloat