Vendors, Visitors Declare Day 1 of SHOT Show a Success

Event participants expect good things based on the first day's activities

(Right) Tim Goalen (owner of Klean Freak) and (Center) Carlos Nunio demonstrate their product to (Center left) Landon Bench and (Left) Grant Cottrell (both of Bentonville, Ark.) during SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 17, 2023. (Michael Clements)

Pre-show publicity for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) 45th SHOT Show said of the event, “It’s A Big Deal.” As the show’s first day wound down on Jan. 17, visitors and vendors alike said it appears it will live up to the billing.

Safak Bas traveled to Las Vegas, Nev., to represent his company Altek Dokum from Istanbul, Turkey. It is his company’s third time at SHOT Show. The previous two trips were to take part in the Supplier’s Showcase. This is his company’s first time on the main exhibition floor for the company that produces brass components used in manufacturing ammunition.

“This is much more crowded,” Bas told The Epoch Times.

Bas spent his first day reconnecting with his existing customers. As the event continues, he plans to reach out to potential clients but also wants to maintain past connections.

“It’s not just about new customers,” Bas said.

Thousands turned out for the first day of SHOT Show on Jan. 17, 2023. (Michael Clements)

SHOT Show is underway at The Venetian Expo and Caesar’s Forum in Las Vegas. The venues are connected by a sky bridge and will feature over 2,400 exhibitors on 800,000 net square feet of floor space. According to information from NSSF, if an attendee were to walk down every aisle, they would have covered over 13.5 miles.

While the event focuses on the firearms industry, not every exhibitor deals in firearms.

Tim Goalen said he expects to clean up in more ways than one. Goalen is the owner of Klean Freak and has attended SHOT Show in the past. This is his first time as an exhibitor.

Goalen manufactures and sells individually wrapped body wipes. He markets the towelettes for hikers, hunters, campers, and other outdoors enthusiasts to clean up with when they don’t have access to a shower or bath. Goalen called his trip a success even before the end of the first day.

“We have already sold more than we expected,” Goalen told The Epoch Times.

He said he had made contacts with the military and foreign prospects in addition to retail customers.

“We are coming back next year with a bigger booth,” Goalen said. “We’re excited for the rest of the week.”

A representative of Ammo-Up demonstrates the device that picks up spent cartridge casings at firing ranges during the first day of SHOT Show, Jan. 17, 2023. (Michael Clements)

Caleb Dudley doesn’t sell guns, but he said SHOT Show is a vital part of his business. Dudley represents Ammo-Up, a Florida-based company that makes a device to sweep up spent cartridge casings at firing ranges.

Ammo-Up has been coming to SHOT Show for 13 years, Dudley said. Dudley said SHOT Show and another NSSF trade show focused on firing ranges put him in touch with customers who need and want his product.

“(SHOT Show is) very important. It gets us in front of the range owners and the people who need this,” Dudley told The Epoch Times.

Dudley said the morning was a bit slower than he expected, but traffic at his booth had picked up by the afternoon. He expects this year’s event to be successful because people who visited his booth appeared to be “very inclined to buy,” Dudley said.

Great Networking

Karen Leckie and Debbie Donaldson came to SHOT Show from Washougal, Washington.

The women own and operate Gunfighting Systems with their husbands, who are military veterans and certified firearms instructors. They recently opened a storefront for their business that contains a “smokeless range.”

The women told The Epoch Times that the smokeless range uses lasers to help teach gun owners safe gun handling, tactics, and other essential skills in a safe, non-threatening environment. Once the students have obtained some skills in the smokeless range, they can go to an actual firing range more confidently and safely.

Leckie said the smokeless range is an excellent tool for beginners and experienced shooters.

“We can teach everything from beginning to the end,” she said.

This is Leckie’s second SHOT Show and Donaldson’s first. Donaldson said the event provides “great networking opportunities.” Both women expect the rest of the week to be enjoyable and profitable.

“I had so much fun last year,” Leckie said.

Eric Pruner is a consignment specialist with the Bryant Ridge Auction Company of Liberty, Ky. This is his fifth SHOT Show, and he told The Epoch Times he is encouraged by the size of the crowd. Pruner said it is good to know that many people could come together with shared interests and priorities.

“Everybody is here for the same reasons, to network and to make money. And everybody here supports the Second Amendment,” Pruner said.

Andrew Lawhorn, owner of the Bryant Ridge Auction Company, agreed. He said the importance of SHOT Show goes beyond just marketing and business. Lawhorn said he brought his son not only to show him the family business but also to inculcate the values and priorities enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

“Everybody needs to involve the youth, or this will die out,” Lawhorn told The Epoch Times. “It will eventually go by the wayside.”