Author: shotshownews

New ‘Women Gun Owners’ NSSF Report Announced at SHOT Show

More than half of women (55.6 percent) participating in a new study commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation said they intend to purchase at least one firearm in the next 12 months. That finding and many others reflect the growing popularity of firearms ownership by women, who represent the fastest growing segment of the shooting sports.

Today during the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show), NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti discussed the findings in the new report, “Women Gun Owners: Purchasing, Perceptions and Participation.” NSSF, which owns the SHOT Show, is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

“In the past decade, the number of women owning firearms and participating in target shooting and hunting has soared. This study helps us understand why women are choosing to purchase firearms and accessories and what shooting activities appeal to them most,” said Sanetti.

The study, conducted in 2014, focused on women ages 18 to 65 who owned at least one firearm. Over a third of women in the study were new gun owners, having purchased their first firearm within the last three years. This group of new gun owners, who are primarily between the ages of 18 and 34, reflects the changing demographics among women choosing to own firearms—a change captured visually in NSSF’s new infographic, “Girl Power,” which complements the new report.

“The women’s market is a force in our industry, and manufacturers, retailers and shooting ranges are making changes to their products and services to satisfy women’s tastes and needs. This report will assist anyone interested in knowing more about women’s enthusiasm for and attitudes toward firearms,” said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF Director of Industry Research and Analysis.

Among the report’s findings:

  • The most commonly owned firearm by women in the study is a semiautomatic pistol, with 56 percent of women reporting they owned at least one. Shotguns ranked second, with 50 percent of women owning at least one.
  • Women say their purchases are mainly influenced by Fit, Quality and Practicality.
  • Women purchasing a gun in the last 12 months spent on average $870 on firearms and more than $400 on accessories.
  • The majority of women report they are not driven to buy a gun on impulse but rather considered their purchase for months before deciding.
  • Nearly all women (95 percent) have tried target shooting, and more than half (58 percent) have hunted.
  • More than 42 percent of women have a concealed carry permit for their state of residence.
  • Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of women reported having taken at least one training class.

Placing a premium on safety, women say the single most important reason why they decided to purchase or own a firearm is protection—both personal and home protection. Learning to hunt and going shooting with friends and family were also cited.

The report shows women are attracted to shooting activities such as practical pistol, clay target shooting, long-range shooting and plinking; they were not as active, however, in gun collecting or 3-gun and cowboy action shooting.

Growth of the women’s market is quite visible among firearms retailers. In NSSF’s Annual Retailer Survey, more than 74 percent of retailers reported an increase in women customers in their stores in 2013 over 2012.

According to the NSSF report, female engagement in target shooting grew 60 percent to 5.4 million participants between 2001 and 2013, and was up 85 percent for hunting to 3.3 million participants during that same period.

NSSF’s “Women Gun Owners” report is available to NSSF members and to media by request.

 

SHOT Show Product Spotlight – Carl Zeiss Sports Optics

SHOT Show Product Spotlight is inside the Carl Zeiss Sports Optics booth to check out the new top-of-the-line binocular, the Victory SF, a premium crossbow scope, the XB75, and a new Zeiss Terra binocular with an UnderArmour Exclusive Edition UA Bino Harness–all debuting at the 2015 SHOT Show. You can find Carl Zeiss Sports Optics at booth #13913 on Level 2 of the Sands Expo or visit their website.

SHOT Show Product Spotlight – Vertx

Vertx returns to the SHOT Show Product Spotlight for a second year to showcase their second generation of everyday carry bags, backpacks, range bags and much more. Visit the Vertx booth #126 on Level 1 of the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. and be sure to visit the Vertx website.

SHOT Show® Opens at Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas

SHOT ShowThe 37th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade ShowSM (SHOT Show®) opened this morning at the Sands Expo Center for a four-day run, January 20-23, welcoming an expected 60,000 industry professionals eager to see the latest products offered by the firearms and outdoor industry.

Owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation®, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, the SHOT Show is the largest trade show of its kind in the world. The show provides buyers and media a first look at new equipment and services used for target shooting, hunting, outdoor and law enforcement purposes. The show is open to trade members only and not to the public; consumers will see the products unveiled here on retailers’ shelves during the course of the year.

Though firearm sales last year were less than in red-hot 2013, the $8 billion industry nevertheless posted one of its strongest showings ever. Background checks, which serve as an indicator of firearm sales, totaled more in 2014 more than in any year except record-setting 2013. The market for firearms, ammunition and accessories remains strong, with statistics showing more people going target shooting and hunting.

Women continue to pursue owning firearms, motivated by interests in personal and home protection as well as recreational shooting. During the show, NSSF will release a new report on “Women Gun Owners: Purchasing, Perceptions and Participation.” One of the report’s findings reveals that more than half of women (55.6 percent) who participated in the study saying they intend to purchase at least one firearm in the next 12 months.

The industry notes that violent crime continues to decline even as Americans purchase firearms in record numbers, underscoring that more guns do not lead to more crime, as anti-gun groups inaccurately claim.

“Our industry continues to see new and different customers embrace firearms ownership and the shooting sports,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti. “New gun owners—someone who has purchased their first firearm in the last five years—represent about a quarter of the total, and they are younger, female, urban/suburban-based and from many ethnic backgrounds.

“These new participants,” added Sanetti, “are altering people’s perceptions of who firearm owners are and what they look like. It’s very gratifying to see the broad-based appeal of our sports and culture. As an industry, we are determined not only to provide people with excellent gear to enjoy recreational shooting but also to deter legislation intended to burden law-abiding gun owners and provide appropriate safety and educational materials to help deter unauthorized access to firearms.”

For the sixth year in a row, SHOT Show will take place at the Sands Expo Center, whose many improvements—including a remodeled, natural light-filled lobby to additional food courts and Wi-Fi hotspots—have drawn widespread approval from attendees. The show is the largest event hosted at Sands Expo Center, and during its run injects $90 million in non-gaming revenue to the Las Vegas economy.

SHOT Show attracts buyers from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Hosting more than 1,600 exhibiting companies, the show floor exceeds 630,000 net square feet—equivalent to more than 13 acres or the area covered by the Great Pyramid at Giza. Some 12.5 miles of aisles lead to displays of a wide range of products, including firearms, ammunition, gun safes, locks and cases, optics, shooting range equipment, targets, training and safety equipment, hunting accessories, law enforcement equipment, hearing and eye protection, tree stands, scents and lures, cutlery, GPS systems, holsters, apparel, leather goods, game calls and decoys.

“We’re coming off our largest and most successful show last year—a bar we welcome and hope to exceed with the 2015 SHOT Show. Our goal each year is to provide our customers with their finest SHOT Show experience ever,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

On the first evening of the show, NSSF will present its State of the Industry Dinner, where an audience of more than 2,000 will learn about NSSF achievements in the past year and be entertained by Las Vegas headliner Bill Engvall.

Major sponsors of the 2015 SHOT Show include Outdoor Channel, Daniel Defense, GunBroker.com, Brownell’s, Gamo Outdoor USA, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Mossy Oak, Trijicon, Smith & Wesson and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, among others. Ram Truck Brand is the official truck of the SHOT Show. Nissan is sponsor of the show’s press room.

The show brings together all segments of one of America’s oldest and most storied industries–manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, shooting range operators, outdoor media and representatives from wildlife conservation groups.

Outdoor media turns out in force to cover the introduction of products and to report on the firearms and outdoor industry. NSSF has credentialed 2,500 media members for the show. On the day prior to SHOT Show, Industry Day at the Range provides invited media and buyers an opportunity to test and learn more about new products. SHOT Show will again feature Radio Row, where major conservative radio hosts broadcast live.

In a longstanding tradition, SHOT Show provides a full lineup of professional development opportunities for attendees. Sold out is SHOT Show University, where firearm retailers can learn about new marketing strategies and compliance with federal regulations. Law enforcement professionals have their own series of education seminars.

SHOT Show is the year’s “must-attend” event for industry professionals. Anyone with an interest in the show and new industry products can learn more www.shotshow.org or by following the show’s news on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and YouTube.

SHOT Show Facts and Figures

openingday5The SHOT Show® (SHOTSM stands for Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) is the once-a-year gathering place for the shooting, hunting and outdoors industry—manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, publishers and wildlife conservation organizations. It’s where a passion for firearms, ammunition and outdoors equipment, plus the industry’s unified support for the Second Amendment, are on display.

The SHOT Show is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation®, trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. The show is produced and managed by ConvExx. The show generates millions of the dollars in revenue that funds NSSF programs and services that help “promote, protect and preserve” hunting and the shooting sports. Among those programs are Project ChildSafe, the industry’s firearm safety education program; Don’t Lie for the Other Guy, which works to help prevent illegal straw purchases; and First Shots, which provides introductions to target shooting. See nssf.org for more information on NSSF programs and member services.

  • The 2015 SHOT Show runs Tuesday, January 20, through Friday, January 23, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The SHOT Show exhibition floor opens at 8:30 a.m. each day and closes at 5:30 p.m. except for the last day when the show closes at 4 p.m. (Law enforcement booths located in Venetian ballrooms open at 8 a.m. daily.) See complete show floor hours. The Press Room is located in the Venetian Murano Ballroom on Level 3. The Press Room opens at 7:30 a.m. each day. See complete Press Room hours. SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range, slated for Monday, January 19, at the Boulder City Rifle & Pistol Club, is for exhibitor-invited media and buyers.
  • This is the 37th annual SHOT Show. The first SHOT Show was in 1979 in St. Louis, Missouri. The SHOT Show has been held 16 times in Las Vegas, more than in any other host city, including consecutively since 2010. SHOT Show will be presented at the Sands Expo and Convention Center through 2020, under the latest agreement.
  • SHOT is the largest event held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Total exhibit space for the 2015 show is expected to be more than 630,000 net square feet—equivalent to more than 13 acres, the area covered by the New Orleans Superdome or the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
  • The SHOT Show boasts 12.5 miles of aisles—just a little less than the distance of half a marathon. Exhibitors, buyers, media and other industry professionals hail from all 50 states and 100 countries.
  • Nearly 70,000 professionals in the shooting, hunting and outdoors industry attended SHOT Show in 2014. The show is for trade only and is not open to the general public.
  • The 2015 SHOT Show will have more than 1,600 exhibitors and more than 2,400 members of the outdoor and mainstream media, including international media, cover the show and promote the products they see at SHOT in their print, Internet, radio and television stories.
  • The total weight of the exhibits for the 2014 SHOT Show brought in by Freeman, the SHOT Show’s general service contractor, exceeded 6,400,000 pounds, the heaviest show ever held at the Sands Expo Center.
  • Over 100 buses are hired by the SHOT Show to accommodate SHOT Show attendees staying at partner hotels along the Las Vegas Strip for complimentary rides to the Sands Expo Center.
  • It took 250 concessionaires to accommodate the food and beverage bistros inside the Sands Expo Center during the 2014 SHOT Show.
  • The Law Enforcement section remains the fastest growing segment of the SHOT Show. To illustrate this growth, law enforcement was started 12 years ago, covering 7,000 square feet; today it covers more than 170,000 square feet of the show.
  • Over 2,100 people attended the opening night NSSF State of the Industry Dinner at the 2014 SHOT Show.
  • Over 10,000 scans for more information were made by media and buyers of the products located in the New Product Center of the 2014 SHOT Show.
  • There were over 340,000 visits by attendees at the 2014 SHOT Show to the 2014 SHOT Show mobile app.
  • 98% of all exhibitors at the 2014 SHOT Show renewed their booth space for the 2015 SHOT Show before the 2014 SHOT Show even concluded.
  • The 2014 SHOT Show brought over $89.6 million in non-gaming revenue to the Las Vegas economy. Firearms and ammunition are a $8 billion industry. The total economic impact of the industry is nearly $38 billion, which supports more than 245,000 jobs.

The SHOT Show’s website is shotshow.org. Follow SHOT Show on Twitter @NSSFSHOTShow and #SHOTShow, and on Facebook.

New This Year for Media and Buyers: SHOT Showcase Theater

Do not miss the inaugural SHOT Showcase Theater, a collection of exclusive exhibitor presentations, backed with spectacular video support across multiple high-definition big-screen displays, high-definition audio and special lighting. RSVP today.

WHAT: SHOT Showcase Theater
WHEN: Tuesday, January 20
WHERE: Sands Showroom at The Venetian

The 2015 SHOT Show is just days away now and we know that all attending are finalizing their meeting and event schedules to maximize their time at the show. We want to make sure that you include the presentations being offered at the SHOT Show’s newest event, the SHOT Showcase Theater.

Modeled after the success of the New York International Auto Show press conference format, the SHOT Showcase Theater features a special 742-seat presentation center that allows media and VIP buyers a chance to experience the SHOT Show’s hottest new products in a dynamic, multi-media environment.

SHOT Showcase Theater schedule:

 

FNH USA 10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Nikon 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.
The Greatest Family in Hunting: Nikon’s family of hunters has grown dramatically over the years through its dedication of providing hunting optics and technologies that are not only useful and relevant — but that help assure hunting success. Like our extended family of hunters, Nikon’s product families continue to grow with over 30 new products being introduced during SHOT Show 2015.
XS Sight Systems 11:45 – Noon
Faxon Firearms 1:00 – 1:15 p.m.
Manufacturing Strategic Solutions for Tactical Problems
Leupold & Stevens 1:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Special Delivery
Outdoor Channel 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Safe Haven is a documentary that looks at the history of Gun Free Zones in the United States. By utilizing original interviews with law enforcement, research experts, public school officials and survivors of attacks, Safe Haven explores how effective, or ineffective, these gun free measures have been and what possible solutions would better protect schools, businesses and the public at large.

Mark your calendars to attend now and RSVP today. We look forward to seeing you there.

SHOT Show Mobile App Now Available

The 2015 SHOT Show mobile app is now available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. It is also available as a web-based app for Blackberry and Windows devices at shotmobile.com.

On iOS and Android devices, simply search for “SHOT Show” and download the app for free.

The mobile app is greatly enhanced this year, with many new features for attendees to navigate the show floor and schedule appointments with exhibitors.

Download the mobile app here.

A big thanks to Daniel Defense for sponsoring this year’s app!