19 Acres of Gun Culture(s)
Reflections on Day 1 of SHOT Show 2026
As I wrote earlier this month, I am currently in Las Vegas for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show). Today is the fourth and final day of the show, so I wanted to take some time to write down my initial reflections while they are fresh in my mind.
Today through Monday, I will share one big-picture reflection for each day of the show.
Day 1: Gun Cultures, Plural
According to the NSSF, the SHOT Show is the largest event held at the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum. There are 13.9 miles of aisles traversing 830,000 square feet (19 acres!) of exhibition space occupied by over 2,800 exhibitors, from “A Berger” to “ZRO Delta.”
The full diversity of America’s gun cultures (plural) is on display here. Hunting, collecting, sport and competitive shooting, law enforcement, military, tactical, Gun Culture 3.0, Gun Culture 4.0, wacky stuff people want just because, and aspects of gun culture yet to be named.
Optics were a huge part of the show, especially pistol-mounted optics, which are becoming more common every year. Suppressors are also surging, even before the recent elimination of the $200 tax stamp, but especially so now. You have companies pushing technological development, like Ambient Arms and Huxwrx, as well as big retailers like Silencer Shop and Silencer Central (where I bought my two suppressors last year, a year too early!), bringing suppressors to the masses.
I didn’t have time to walk the Law Enforcement/Tactical section of the show, but there is so much of it that it spills over into other parts of the show floor — with many booths selling products ready-made for ICE deployment to the streets of America.
A big picture view of the SHOT Show is a good reminder to me of how little my own personal and scholarly slice of gun culture is. I look forward to the day when other scholars regularly attend the SHOT Show to better understand “the gun industry.”
Supporting This Work
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I’ll also note that I still have personally signed copies of Gun Curious available for direct purchase at $25 (includes shipping), with bulk discounts available for those interested.
You’re 100% spot on, as usual, David. SHOT Show is the intersection of so many different cultures and subcultures. Can’t wait to read more of your impressions!
Awesome as always, David, I’m looking forward to the next 3 installments!