Guns: The SHOT Show!

Despite the hysteria over the uber-powerful "gun lobby," the firearms industry is actually a relatively small, insular community. Nowhere is this more apparent then at the SHOT Show, an annual event operated and sponsored by the NSSF. This year, it's being held at the Sands Expo Convention Center:



Even though the show includes practically every company that manufactures something to do with guns, shooting, or hunting (including knife makers, flashlight sellers, and gear companies), the entire SHOT Show covers a mere 700,000 square feet. Compare that to CES, another yearly, industry-and-press-only trade show; CES typically spans 2 million square feet and is held in a much bigger convention center.

Anyway, this is the time of year where most of the new products for 2011 are unveiled. I'm intrigued by some (Kel-Tec's bullpup shotgun), turned off by others (Ruger's PF9 LC9), and sometimes genuinely befuddled (Colt's bringing back the Mustang? Really? Is the .380 market that hot?). It's a fun time for all gunbloggers.