The Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, the firearms industry’s annual trade show, set a new attendance record this year. Held in Las Vegas, the four day show attracted 62,371 attendees. This is the Show’s 35th year. Having grown steadily since its inception, it is now the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas. The SHOT Show is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the industry tradegroup for the firearms manufacturing industry.
Attendees came from all fifty states and 100 other countries and included more than 2,000 members of the outdoor media. The Show occupied a space of approximately 630,000 square feet and featured over 1,600 exhibitors. The popularity of the NSSF was demonstrated by the number of attendees who chose to join NSSF at the Show, which resulted in membership of more than 8,300 by Show’s end.
The annual State of the Industry event, sponsored by The Outdoor Channel, was completely sold out with 1,800 attendees. Entertainment was provided by impersonator and ventriloquist Terry Fator.
Firearms and ammunition and associated manufacturers have an approximate annual revenue of $4.1 billion as a result of 200,000 jobs as part of the shooting sports. In addition, Federal excise tax collections on firearms and ammunition $344 million in FY 2011, which funds the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is used for wildlife restoration and research, and hunter education programs.
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