The SHOT Show , which is an
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for "Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show", is an
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
n annual
trade show
A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...
for the
shooting sport
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...
s,
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
,
outdoor recreation
Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...
s and
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...
industries. The show is owned and sponsored by the
National Shooting Sports Foundation
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is an American national trade association for the firearms industry that is based in Newtown, Connecticut. Formed in 1961, the organization has more than 8,000 members: firearms manufacturers, distri ...
(NSSF), and is the biggest event of the type in the world along with the
IWA & OutdoorClassics
IWA OutdoorClassics, also referred to as simply IWA, short for ''Internationale Waffen Ausstellung'' (International Weapons Exhibition), is an annual trade fair held in the Messezentrum Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany for the hunting, shooting spo ...
("IWA Nuremberg") held also annually in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The SHOT Show is restricted to formal members of the shooting, hunting, military and outdoor trade industries, including commercial buyers and sellers of military, law enforcement and tactical products, and is not open to the general public.
The first ever SHOT Show was held in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, in 1979. It used to rotate between
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
;
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
;
, and several other U.S. cities, although since 2010 it has taken place only in Las Vegas at the
Sands Expo
The Venetian Convention and Expo Center (formerly the Sands Expo) is a convention center located in Paradise, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip. The Venetian Expo is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Apollo Global Management, and is freque ...
and is contracted to remain there through 2027. It attracted over 60,000 attendees to its of exhibition space in Las Vegas. It is among the top 25 trade shows in the US.
Locations
Source for all attendance information:
References
External links
SHOT Show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shot Show
Firearm commerce
Trade shows in the United States
Arms fairs
Recurring events established in 1979
1979 establishments in the United States