The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, today announced that it has reached an agreement with Reed Exhibitions to terminate the agreement the parties had for the management of the SHOT Show. Accordingly, effective immediately, Reed Exhibitions will no longer be manager and producer of the SHOT Show.
Reed Exhibitions provided excellent service to NSSF and the customers of the SHOT Show for more than three decades, however, the company’s decision to restrict the sale of certain types of firearms this year at its consumer hunting and fishing show — an event unrelated to NSSF and the SHOT Show — was in conflict with NSSF’s mission to serve the shooting sports industry. As a result, both organizations decided it was in the best interest of the SHOT Show to end their relationship.
NSSF is actively engaged in the process of identifying a new show management company to manage and produce the SHOT Show beginning with the 2014 SHOT Show.
The SHOT Show — the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show — is owned and sponsored by NSSF. It is the largest and most comprehensive trade show for all professionals involved with the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries. The 2014 SHOT Show will be held Jan. 14-17 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.
The April-May edition of SHOT Business magazine is now available at its www.shotbusiness.com website or as a mobile-friendly digital magazine. This month’s feature “SHOT Show 2013” packs the four days of the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show into 14 brimming pages.
The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show®) concluded four successful days at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, setting new attendance records and marking the 35th anniversary of the event.
The largest trade show of its kind in the world and the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas, the SHOT Show attracted a record overall attendance of 62,371, including a new high for buyers and more than 2,000 media representatives. More than 1,600 exhibitors filled booth space covering 630,000 net square feet. The show, which is a trade-only event, attracted industry professionals from all 50 states and 100 countries.
Exhibitors and attendees alike said the SHOT Show is critical to the success of their businesses.
“The SHOT Show is the springboard for every new product that we introduce each year,” said Frank Devlin of Otis Technology. “It gives industry the opportunity to see our new products and allows us to get feedback from them to know that we are heading in the right direction.”
John Anthon, president of GATCO Sharpeners/Timberline Knives, said, “For the 24 years we’ve been going, the SHOT Show is the most important show we do each year. It is the largest venue globally and the most important. Every important customer comes to the show for that reason.”
Industry veteran Ron Coburn of Savage Arms said, “It’s the industry’s trade show. Everybody who’s in the trade needs to be here to see what’s going on. It’s the place to see friends and showcase our own products.”
Dwight Van Brunt of Kimber said, “It’s a powerhouse show—the place where you can talk to writers, dealers and industry VIPs.”
“We get to talk to our biggest customers and show them what we have,” said Ernie Callandrelli of Quaker Boy Inc. “We’ve been here all 35 years of the show, so two important benefits are seeing old friends and building key relationships.”
The SHOT Show is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. Revenues from the show support NSSF’s many programs that carry out its mission of promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports, along with promoting responsible firearms ownership and safe storage practices.
Showgoers recognize that the SHOT Show’s importance to industry extends beyond selling and buying on the show floor. “What this show generates for our cause is absolutely critical,” said Tom Taylor of Mossberg. Added Steve Lamboy of Micheli-Lamboy Marketing, “We need to communicate more to our members that the funds from this show are going to build the entire future of our industry.”
The $4.1 billion firearms and ammunition industry supports many small businesses and helps preserve the more than 200,000 jobs associated with the shooting sports.
NSSF added significantly to its membership ranks at the show, pushing its overall total of supporters to more than 8,300.
With the show taking place amid heightened national attention about firearms ownership and potential legislation, NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti addressed more than 1,800 industry leaders at the State of the Industry Dinner. “I don’t think many of those who disagree with what we do appreciate the many things we’ve done to advocate personal responsibility with firearms,” Sanetti said.
“Ours is a responsible industry,” said Sanetti, “that makes and sells lawful products to law-abiding citizens. They in turn exercise their constitutional right to own, use and enjoy firearms safely and responsibly for all lawful purposes.”
NSSF supporters filled the sold-out hall for the State of the Industry event, which was sponsored by Outdoor Channel and included a review of NSSF’s accomplishment from the past year and entertainment from popular ventriloquist and impersonator Terry Fator.
Many awards are presented at the show. NSSF presented FMG Publications with its Ken Sedlecky Achievement Award for its longstanding support of NSSF’s First Shots program through funds raised at its Shooting Industry Master events.
Retired NSSF President Doug Painter was honored with the Professional Outdoor Media Association-NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award for extraordinary achievements in communications in support of hunting’s heritage and firearms freedoms.
Approximately half of the media on hand to cover the show attended SHOT Show Media Day at the Range, where they had the opportunity to review and test products offered by 100 exhibitors.
In conjunction with the SHOT Show, NSSF sponsored the PGA Charities’ Birdies for the Brave golf tournament that raised $100,000 for groups that provide support for injured armed service veterans.
The SHOT Show will return to the Sands Expo & Convention Center January 14-17, 2014.
“Hats off and thank you to the NSSF for putting on a great SHOT Show,” summed up Dave Baron of Baron Technologies.
The show is a few days long; its impact is year-round
When more than 60,000 industry members converge on Las Vegas and, more specifically, the Sands Expo and Convention Center, in January for the SHOT Show, they will gain the immediate benefits of the grandest show for the shooting, hunting, and outdoor trade.
Many other benefits, however, result from SHOT Show revenue. Much of the funding that propels the National Shooting Sports Foundation, owner and sponsor of SHOT, to fulfill its mission comes from the SHOT Show. “Promote, protect, and preserve hunting and the shooting sports” is the mission of the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and shooting sports industry, and NSSF invests in hunting and the shooting sports to do just that.
Participation in the SHOT Show generates as much as 80 percent of the funding for NSSF programs. One such effort is a proactive government relations program to guard your rights and business interests. Today, for example, NSSF continues its multifaceted campaigns against legislation that would enact microstamping, ballistics imaging, and limitations and outright bans on traditional ammunition. One visible result of its efforts this year was New York’s deactivation of its costly ballistics imaging program, which never contributed to the solving of even one crime.
In addition, NSSF invests SHOT Show revenue in customer-recruitment campaigns, such as Families Afield and First Shots. The former has actively remedied legislative barriers preventing family hunting participation, and the latter has offered newcomers the opportunity to learn firearms and firearms ownership fundamentals at member ranges, while actually experiencing the fun of shooting under the careful supervision of qualified instructors.
Other NSSF investments of SHOT Show revenue in hunting and the shooting sports’ future come in the form of the Hunting Heritage Partnership (HHP) Grant program, the Range Partnership Grant program, the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative (CSSI), and the Boy Scouts of America Challenge Grant program. HHP awards grants to state and regional wildlife management agencies to create hunter access and opportunity. The Range Partnership Grant program funds new marketing approaches to put more shooters on the firing line at shooting facilities. CSSI helps strengthen existing collegiate varsity and club shooting programs, and it aids in the founding of new ones. The Boy Scouts of America Challenge Grant program funds and equips BSA Councils with shooting equipment while directing their spending to NSSF member retailers.
In the long run, the entire hunting and sport shooting industry benefits from the revenue produced at the SHOT Show, and the greatest beneficiaries are the members of NSSF.
NSSF’s government relations actions led to the passage of legislation that preempted the frivolous lawsuits that nearly crippled the industry. The law allows the manufacturing industry to concentrate its resources on constructive research and development, rather than on unwarranted legal defense. NSSF’s successful efforts on behalf of firearms and ammunition manufacturers to gain uniformity with other industries in the schedule of Pittman- Robertson excise payments alleviated much paperwork and debt, freeing manpower and money for further R&D.
First Shots has demonstrated that participants come back to the introductory range to shoot and to make purchases. The Boy Scouts grants can be used only at NSSF member retailers’ businesses.
NSSF research gathers information, including customized market surveys, that help businesses better understand industrywide trends as well as local demographics. At SHOT Show, formal educational opportunities present themselves through SHOT Show University and Retailer Seminars. Throughout the year, in different parts of the country, Retailer Education Seminars give FFLs a better understanding of ATF compliance requirements. Planned meetings, like the Indoor Range and Retail Development Workshop held in St. Louis this past year, give start-up businesses a practical education.
These many activities of NSSF are only a sampling of the programs that are funded, in great part, by the revenue generated at the SHOT Show, a four-day event in January that’s success is felt throughout the year.
Smith & Wesson® has signed on to be the presenting sponsor of SHOT Show University, the education seminar for firearms retailers that will take place in conjunction with the 2013 SHOT Show.
Additional sponsors of SHOT Show University include Black Rain Ordnance, Celerant Technology Corp., National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW), The Outdoor Connection and SportScanInfo.
We applaud Smith & Wesson and the other industry companies for their support of the industry’s largest educational opportunity for firearms retailers–SHOT Show University.
More than 300 firearms retailers will attend the 2013 SHOT Show University at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas on Jan. 14, the day prior to the beginning of the four-day SHOT Show. Expert speakers and strategic breakout sessions will provide firearms retailers and their staffs with training and education that will help them operate their businesses and service their customers more effectively.
GunBroker.com, the world’s largest online auction site for firearms and related accessories will return as exclusive sponsor of the NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center for the 2013 SHOT Show
GunBroker.com continues to be an extraordinary partner of NSSF and SHOT Show. GunBroker.com is a great example of an NSSF member that makes the extra effort to help grow the hunting and the shooting sports, from supporting SHOT Show, the Shooting Sports Summit and distributing NSSF’s “Pull the Trigger” newsletter to its list of nearly 1 million opt-in email subscribers. GunBroker.com’s SHOT Show sponsorship demonstrates the company’s commitment to all that the industry’s premier trade show stands for.
NSSF members will find free wireless service among many other amenities in the NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center, which serves as a central point for NSSF members to take a break from the show floor or to network and conduct business.
“Throughout our history, GunBroker.com has strived to be an effective partner of those organizations that are working in support of our hunting and shooting sports industry,” commented Steve Urvan, GunBroker.com founder and CEO. “Clearly, the National Shooting Sports Foundation is a leader in those efforts and we are proud to return as the exclusive sponsor of the NSSF Member’s Lounge and Business Center and to seeing our fellow NSSF members at the show. Indeed, I would like to take this opportunity to urge any SHOT Show exhibitor that is not a member of NSSF to make a point of coming on board before the 2013 SHOT Show,” Urvan said.
GunBroker.com provides marketers of hunting and shooting sports equipment with extraordinary exposure to an active audience averaging 3 million unique visitors each month. GunBroker.com is a member and active supporter of NSSF and is the official host site for each year’s SHOT Show Auction.
The NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center sponsored by GunBroker.com will be located in the Venetian Hotel, Level 3, Lido Ballroom. The Venetian Hotel adjoins the Sands Expo Convention Center.
NSSF recently hosted the Reed Exhibitions SHOT Show team for a First Shots event at the Fairfield County Fish & Game Protective Association. While several of our counterparts at Reed Exhibitions are avid shooters, for most it was either the first time or the first time in a very long time that they had the opportunity to go shooting.
The beautiful weather, patient instructors and camaraderie added up to a great day. And seeing the big smiles when a steel plate fell or a clay target fragmented reminded me once again why our industry continues to grow. Because shooting is fun! Furthermore, the targets don’t care how strong, weak, tall, short, fast or slow you are, making recreational shooting accessible to virtually everyone.
Research shows that millions of Americans would accept an invitation from a friend or family member to try target shooting. When you consider that nearly half the participants in our First Shots events become an avid shooter (and customer), it makes a lot of sense for all of us in the industry to make the time to take someone shooting.
(Special thanks to Head Rangemaster John Fritz and the volunteer instructors at Fairfield County Fish & Game Protective Association, Joe Cimino from North Atlantic Sportsman and Ruger Regional Sales Manager John Dragonette for helping to make this event a huge success.)
Staff from NSSF and Reed Exhibitions pose for a group photo at the First Shots event.Cassie DeLeo, Reed Exhibitions event support, takes her First Shots at the event.Wendy Leahy, Reed Exhibitions senior registration manager, takes a look at her target after spending some time on the pistol and rifle range.Ed Several, Reed Exhibitions senior vice president and general manager, gets some instruction from Bill Dunn, NSSF managing director of marketing communications.
I’m pleased to report that North American Arms has stepped up to be a supporting sponsor of the 2013 SHOT Show Birdies for the Brave charity golf event next January. Last year’s event raised $70,000 for several military homefront groups, and the goal is to top that this year.
“North American Arms’ support for Birdies for the Brave is based on our respect and appreciation for the men and women of our armed forces who risk their lives in defense of the liberties and freedoms that Americans enjoy today, not the least of which are those granted by the Second Amendment,” said company president, Sandy Chisholm.
We are extremely pleased to see North American Arms be a leader in supporting this worthy charity golf event.
NSSF is the title sponsor and host of the event, which will be presented in partnership with PGA TOUR for Birdies for the Brave on Jan. 12-13, 2013, at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. The charity golf event precedes the 2013 SHOT Show.
NSSF encourages other companies to follow the lead of North American Arms and become a sponsor of SHOT Show Birdies for the Brave. High-value merchandise donations for the silent auction and raffle are also being sought.
Proceeds from last year’s inaugural event benefited nine charities supported by Birdies for the Brave. The goal for 2013 is to net $100,000. It’s a great opportunity for our industry to provide even more support for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry’s trade association and owner of the SHOT Show, recently reached a historic milestone: 7,000 members.
That number is more than double what membership was at just five years ago.
“Our membership has never been stronger or more engaged,” NSSF President Steve Sanetti said during his SHOT Show State of the Industry address. “We have had great success in recent years solidfying our industry’s base of support. We’ve experienced huge gains in the number of retailers and ranges that have stepped forward to join us in our mission.”
NSSF membership comprises firearms and ammunition manufacturers, wholesalers, importers, retailers, shooting ranges, gun clubs, conservation groups, outdoor media, safety instructors and many others.
Voting Membership, the highest level of NSSF membership, has also grown significantly. Fifteen companies added their support as Voting members in 2011 alone.
Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, at today's press conference.
Many indicators, including a record-setting 2011, show the firearms industry continues to thrive in a down economy and that the potential exists for another strong sales year in 2012, NSSF reported at a press conference today at the SHOT Show.
The $4 billion firearms and ammunition industry stands apart from other industries that are struggling in the slow economy. Demand for guns has continued at a robust pace since late 2008. NSSF estimates the industry is responsible for approximately 180,000 jobs and has impact on the U.S. economy of $28 billion.
Indicators such as background-check statistics, firearms production and importation, firearm-retailer surveys and on-the-ground reports from retailers nationwide reveal that interest in firearm ownership is high.
“More and more Americans are choosing to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and they are doing so in a safe and responsible manner,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.
Reports also suggest increased demand for concealed carry permits and for learn-to-shoot seminars such as NSSF’s First Shots program. “We have seen a lot of first-time buyers in our store,” said Joe Keffer, owner of the Sportsman’s Shop in New Holland, Pa. “People want information. They’re interested in instruction.”
Click image for full-size chart
One of the best indicators of firearms sales is the FBI’s National Instant Background Check System, which federally licensed firearm retailers use to conduct the mandatory background check on purchasers of new and used firearms. NSSF downwardly adjusts the NICS data by subtracting checks related to non-purchasing activity, such as checks for concealed carry permits, in order to gain a more accurate picture of market activity.
December marked an unprecedented 19th straight month of background check increases when compared to the same period in the previous year. NSSF-adjusted background checks for December totaled more than 1,410,937 (1,854,400 “unadjusted”)–the most ever for any single month. This comes on the heels of the historic “Black Friday” (Nov. 25, 2011) record for the most background checks in a single day–129,166–a 32 percent increase over the previous one-day high.
Another indicator pointing to robust gun sales is the federal excise taxes collected on the sale of new firearms and ammunition, which have risen 48.3 percent over the last five years.
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Why are more Americans choosing to own firearms? Reasons range from citizens’ increased awareness of the Second Amendment protecting the individual right to own firearms that was reaffirmed in two recent Supreme Court decisions, to increased interest in personal and home protection that may be due to economic uncertainty, to increased interest in the shooting sports and hunting.
Politics has played a role, too, with a surge in firearms sale beginning in October 2008, in part because supporters of the Second Amendment feared the election of less gun-friendly candidates, including Barack Obama, and new, restrictive gun laws they might advocate. Though such legislation has not happened, industry professionals at the SHOT Show believe a similar reaction this election year is possible that could ignite another surge in firearm sales.
Related to the topic of gun sales is the public’s changing attitude toward ownership. A recent Gallop poll showed a record lack of support for gun control, with only 26 percent of Americans favoring a ban on the possession of handguns. When Gallup first asked Americans this question some 50 years ago, 60 percent favored banning handguns.
As sales climb, recent FBI data shows violent crime continuing to fall in the United States, with homicides dropping out of the top 15 causes of death in the country. The statistics undermine a favorite argument of anti-gun groups that “more guns equal more crime.”
“These statistics vividly demonstrate that the lawful possession and use of firearms by law-abiding Americans does not cause crime,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “There have never been more firearms in civilian possession in the history of the United States, and crime, including homicide, continues to decline throughout the country.”
Whether they own firearms for target shooting, hunting, collecting or personal and home protection, Americans are enthusiastic and protective about guns they own. Several polls indicate Americans’ high interest level for, and increased participation in, the shooting sports.
In 2010, an NSSF/Harris poll showed that 43 percent of respondents, which equates to nearly 98 million people, expressed some level of interest in participating in the shooting sports or hunting.
A 2010 NSSF/Responsive Management study showed that 15 percent of the U.S. population, representing 34.4 million people nationwide, went target shooting in 2009. This number surpassed all previous estimates of annual sport shooting participation. Among the most active participants are those who own a modern sporting rifle (MSR), a best-selling rifle type that is based on the popular AR platform and is the civilian, semiautomatic version of the military’s M16. According to a 2011 NSSF survey, MSR owners go target shooting more often than individuals who own other types of firearms. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed said they shot 1,000 rounds of ammunition in the last 12 months with their MSRs.
As for hunting, the decades-long national decline in hunting license sales has ceased, and more than 20 states have reported increases in hunting licenses sold.
Women, in particular, seem eager to explore firearms ownership. Participation by women increased in both target shooting (46.5 percent) and hunting (36.6 percent) in the last decade, according to the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers. Also, 61 percent of firearm retailers responding to an NSSF survey said they saw an increase in female customers in their stores.
More firearms in civilian possession neither equates to more crime nor to more accidents. NSSF points out that safe and responsible firearms ownership is the norm, not the exception. With an estimated 85 to 90 million firearms owners in the country, accidental firearms fatalities are at a historic low, a level that industry and other concerned groups are working to maintain through such programs as NSSF’s Project ChildSafe, which provides free firearms safety kits to law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Smith & Wesson® has signed on to be the presenting sponsor of SHOT Show University, the education seminar for firearms retailers that will take place in conjunction with the 2013 SHOT Show.
I’m pleased to report that North American Arms has stepped up to be a supporting sponsor of the 2013 SHOT Show 
NSSF is the title sponsor and host of the event, which will be presented in partnership with PGA TOUR for Birdies for the Brave on Jan. 12-13, 2013, at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. The charity golf event precedes the 2013 SHOT Show.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry’s trade association and owner of the SHOT Show, recently reached a historic milestone: 7,000 members.
