Gun Culture 2.0 is Alive and Well in Las Vegas
Reflections on Day 2 of SHOT Show 2026
Yesterday I wrote about the 19 Acres of Gun Cultures (Plural) on display at the 2026 National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show).
My Day 2 reflection highlights one central aspect of those plural gun cultures: Gun Culture 2.0.
For those unfamiliar with this term, “Gun Culture 2.0” is a heuristic device I use to describe how gun culture in the United States has evolved over time to center on self-defense and armed citizenship.
Day 2: Gun Culture 2.0
I have said before that the “Gun Culture 2.0” concept I took from Michael Bane and brought into scholarly discourse in gun studies is a two-edged sword because every way of seeing is a way of not seeing.
There is much more to American gun culture than just self-defense. At the same time, I am here to collect data for my book-in-progress, cleverly titled Gun Culture 2.0. And there is plenty of civilian defensive gun culture on display here at SHOT.
The lobby of the main floor of the Venetian Expo is dominated by the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). A huge USCCA booth, large printed banners, and electronic display boards greet attendees.
Just to the left of the USCCA is Viktos, a 9-year-old Wisconsin-based tactical apparel gear company. That alone is unremarkable, but what makes Viktos stand out for me any time I see them at a show is their remarkable slogan: “Gear for Your Daily Gunfight.”
All of the major gun manufacturers continue to produce and promote guns for self-defense and concealed carry. There are innumerable companies selling holsters for civilian defenders. Defensive ammunition and optical sights for carry guns. Concealed carry dresses and purses for women. Security devices to stage defensive firearms. A tactical cup holder insert made its SHOT Show debut. Fashion-forward pepper spray for ladies. And more.
So, as much as some people want to talk about Gun Culture 3.0 or Gun Culture 4.0, Gun Culture 2.0 is alive and well.
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"Gear for your daily gunfight"? Seriously?
No surprise that the anti gun lobby has plenty of ammo to lob at us.
I'll say this.
One afternoon at SHOT Show about 4 or 5 years ago, my feet were ready to divorce me after having crisscrossed the labyrinthian 19 acres of exhibits. I decided to plunk myself down for a while, in a little sitting area (smack in the middle of the action) that the NSSF had setup for informal meetings and such. I got myself a cup of coffee and just spent the next 30 minutes or so silently people watching — trying to figure out who these thousands of people were.
I did the same thing this year—not coincidentally, in the same little meeting area. I think I'm going to make it a yearly habit going forward.
Over the time I've been going to SHOT, I see a markedly more diverse audience in attendance. More women, more non-Caucasian people, a wider age range (specifically: more people that looked to be in their early adulthood), and more foreign languages being spoken. Since I'm limited to my eyes and my ears, there are types of diversity that I'm sure I can't perceive but can safely intuit are present.
I know that the term "diversity" is one of many that have come into the crosshairs of modern politics, but in this particular context I see it as a good thing. It's comforting to be in a room full of like-minded people, but it's when we're in a true potpourri of people that we can find ourselves challenged in all the right ways.
Later that same day, I was in line to pay for a snack and met a young woman who was attending SHOT Show on behalf of a (friendly!) foreign government that was investigating some new weapons systems for her country's military. She didn't speak English very well and I didn't speak her native tongue at all, but we both spoke passable French and made friendly chit-chat about the show. This was her first SHOT Show and, like most first-timers, was just trying to wrap her brain around the spectacle.
We enjoyed friendly chit chat for a few minutes and parted ways. Nothing of consequence. But it gave me the same warm vibes that I get when I interact with someone in a foreign airport—one of those "our lives would almost certainly never intersect, but for this one serendipitous moment in time" feeling of connection with a much larger world.
None of which has anything to do with Gun Culture 2.0, but this seemed like a "safe" space to share this fun bit. :-)