Last month’s 46th Annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show set new benchmarks with a record number of exhibitors attending and expanded show floor space to address what is one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries. It was the largest SHOT Show ever held.
Hosted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF)—the firearm industry trade association—more than 55,400 industry professionals attended the event in Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 23 to Jan. 26. Among them was a team from American Rifleman, scouring the more than 13.9 miles of aisles to bring you everything that’s “New for 2024” in our news coverage.
For the third year in a row, exhibit space at Caesars Forum was expanded to accommodate the demand, adding to the already-existing square footage in The Venetian Expo. More than 2,600 companies displayed products and services in booths covering more than 821,000 sq.-ft. The show included attendees from 117 countries and every state in the nation.
“The energy on the SHOT Show floor this year was off the charts,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president and chief customer officer. “The feedback we’ve received from our exhibitors and attendees has been amazing, and we can’t thank them all enough for helping us make the show what it is: the greatest trade show in the world.”
NSSF also presented its highest honor—the Ken Sedlecky Lifetime Achievement Award—to Steve Hornady, President of Hornady Manufacturing Company at the SHOT Show. It recognizes his long-term commitment to the success of the industry and efforts to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports.
Trade show volume aside, firearm sales as reflected by the number of National Instant Criminal Background System checks conducted by the FBI remain above the one-million-a-month mark, too. NSSF estimates January’s purchases came in at 1,197,294. The figure reflects a decrease when compared to the same period in 2023, but it makes last month the 54th in a row that reached seven figures.
