What Do The Masters, Disney World, and the NRA Annual Meeting Have in Common?
They are three of the happiest places I've been
I am not a huge fan of Augusta National Golf Club (too exclusive) or Walt Disney World (too crowded), but having visited both once, I noticed a significant similarity between the two.
If you are fortunate enough to visit either place, you will find tens of thousands of happy people.
I hadn’t thought about this similarity between Augusta National and Disney World until I was trying to explain what it feels like to be at the National Rifle Association annual meeting and exhibits (NRAAM).
Although the NRAAM is more than the show floor, most of the tens of thousands of people who attend the event go for the exhibits. Nearly 600 exhibitors were listed for the 2025 meeting in Atlanta, from ACCU-TAC to Zvetco.
Here you can handle a $4,000 custom pistol, feeling its weight and perfect balance, then move to another booth to shoulder a $20,000 competition shotgun that most people only see in magazines.
The latest innovations in optics, ammunition, and accessories surround you. Prototypes you can actually touch, experts to explain the technical details, and gear you never knew existed.
The celebrity factor adds another layer of enjoyment. You can get an autograph from and a photo with a six-time Olympic medalist, one of many accomplished shooters and popular gunfluencers who draw crowds.
Like The Masters and Disney World, it is an immersive experience. People of all ages come and partake in the tactile joy of it all—handling, examining, and experiencing gun culture in all its diversity.
Like The Masters and Disney World, this creates the childlike happiness you see on most faces at the NRAAM, regardless of the attendees’ age.
If you’re interested, I shared some additional reflections on the 2025 NRA annual meeting from “media row” on the show floor in a conversation with Rob Beckman for his Firearms Trainer’s Podcast.
One of my memories of the first NRA convention I attended is when a group from the Single Action Shooting Society (Cowboy Action Shooting) strolled through in full 1870s Sunday-go-to-meeting attire. It still makes me smile.
And if you or your family want to revisit the Magic Kingdom, word is that the Crowds - at least for the present - have moved over to Universal's Epic Universe, since its grand opening was this past weekend. That probably won't last.
Same is generally true of local gun shows. People show up to look at, gawk, or handle the guns and other various goodies, swap lies with like-minded people, and look for bargains or those can't do without items that we probably can do without (like the 92FS Compact I just bought....). It's just a lot of fun.