A show in White Plains, N.Y. - brought back a few years ago after being called off for a decade because of the Columbine shooting - is off because officials decided it didn't seem appropriate now, either. In Danbury, Conn. - about 10 miles west of Newtown - the venue backed out. Same with three other shows in New York's Hudson Valley, according to the organizer.

Gun advocates aren't backing down from their insistence on the right to keep and bear arms. But heightened sensitivities and raw nerves since the Newtown shooting have led to toned-down displays at gun shows and prompted some officials and sponsors to cancel the well-attended exhibitions altogether.