Saturday, February 10, 2024

Shot Show 2024 No Free Parking, Brady Urinal


Underground Parking at the Palazzo

At the 2024 SHOT Shoe, there was a significant change which was not widely announced. No more free self parking at the Venetian and Palazzo hotels, part of the Convention Center. For years, perhaps decades, the parking at the Venetian and Pallazzo was free. Parking is always something to be considered in busy downtown Las Vegas. When this correspondent first learned of the free parking, it was a tremendous improvement in covering the SHOT Show. From the free parking in the underground of the Palazzo, it wasn't far to an elevator which delivered you to the Palazzo Casino, then about a quarter mile walk, all indoors, to the SHOT Show and the Press (Media) room.

This correspondent has stayed at the Venetian a couple of times, thanks to the generosity of AmmoLand. Staying in one of the hotels is even more convenient. Both hotel guests and non-guest attendees have to pay the parking fees, which are, for downtown Las Vegas, a modest $15 a day for hotel guests, and $15 for up to four hours for others, or $18 for 24 hours, maximum.  From Fox5Vegas.com:

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Joining a host of other resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, the Venetian resort is ending free self-parking.

On August 29, 2023, paid self-parking will go into effect at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas for non-registered hotel guests (visitors). Self-parking fees for registered hotel guests will begin on September 5, for those who booked on or after August 24, 2023.

The ticket issued when you enter the parking garage contains a QR code. The fee has to be paid for you to leave. The ticket is scanned again when you leave. One of the questionable practices is, as the sign in the picture says: NO CASH ACCEPTED. Legal Tender law:

Is it legal for a business in the United States to refuse cash as a form of payment?

There is no federal statute mandating that a private business, a person, or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law that says otherwise.

Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," states: "United States coins and currency [including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve Banks and national banks] are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." This statute means that all U.S. money as identified above is a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor.

If a person makes a legal offer to pay a debt, and the offer is refused, is the debt valid? This correspondent is not a lawyer. An aversion to the creeping requirement to use digital money, combined with difficulty in obtaining anonymous digital money, prompted notice of the sign. A requirement to use trackable digital money means we, and our affairs, are all recorded, tracked, and available to potential tyrants.

In practice, the payment for parking system ran smoothly, without a hitch. The system requires you to give up significant privacy  merely to exist in today's society. One of the attractions of bitcoin and other such currencies is potential anonymity. It would not be hard to have anonymous money in the United States. Credit card companies could sell pre-paid debit cards for cash. Currently, such cards are registered to an individual. Instruments which are not registered are increasingly difficult to find and use.

On a lighthearted note, the Brady urinal strainers are still in use at the SHOT Show.

From a previous AmmoLand article:

It is just an unfortunate coincidence that a unrelated company, Brady Industries, produces the mats and many other cleaning supplies for the Western United States. From bradyindustries.com:

Brady Industries is the premier cleaning solutions provider throughout the Western United States. We provide cleaning solutions to our customers while exceeding their expectations with quality, service, and integrity.

It is a pleasant improbability a Second Amendment culture warrior made the choice to place Brady Urinal screens in the urinals at SHOT Show for several years. It is a mild surprise no images of President Biden appeared in the SHOT Show urinals.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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