SHOT Show 2015 at a Glance
| Dates | Tuesday to Friday, January 20 to 23, 2015 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sands Expo and Convention Center |
| City | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Attendance | Nearly 64,000, the second highest ever at the time |
| Exhibitors | About 1,400 on 640,000 square feet |
| New Product Center | 600 new products, double 2014 |
| Gun Websites Crew | Eleventh SHOT Show in a row for the Gun Websites crew, every show since 2005 |
SHOT Show 2015 opened four days after the ATF released its open letter on pistol stabilizing braces, and the brace question was the talk of the show. Attendance dipped slightly to nearly 64,000 after NSSF tightened attendee screening, while the New Product Center doubled to 600 products. The Gun Websites crew drove in with the Cop Car, traded morale patches all week, and ate their way through Las Vegas buffets and bacon breakfasts.
SHOT Show 2015 History
SHOT Show 2015 ran January 20 to 23 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. NSSF reported nearly 64,000 attendees from more than 100 countries, its second highest total, with the small drop from 2014 credited to stricter pre-screening of who qualified as trade. About 1,400 exhibitors filled 640,000 square feet, and the New Product Center showcased 600 new products, double the year before.
The show also added a SHOT Store selling official merchandise, more digital signage, and a second year of the International Buyer Program with nine foreign delegations.
Our Take on SHOT Show 2015
On January 16, 2015, the ATF issued an open letter saying that shouldering a pistol stabilizing brace could turn an AR pistol into a short barreled rifle. Four days later the industry walked into SHOT Show, and the brace question was everywhere, from booth conversations to the #BraceThis patch that warned owners not to put it on their shoulder until the ATF sorted it out. That fight over braces would run for nearly a decade.
On the floor, AK and Saiga pattern guns were still everywhere on the walls, red dot sights were moving onto pistol slides, and companies like Glock and Aguila handed out stickers and patches by the stack. The patch trading scene that had been growing for a few years was in full swing.
Our SHOT Show 2015 Adventures
The Cop Car made the drive again, with a stop to look under the hood and plenty of miles of desert highway before rolling into Las Vegas at night. The hotel room doubled as an editing bay, with a laptop set up to cut videos between show days.
By the end of the week the hotel bed was covered in show swag, coins and patches, and the crew had a working dog in a vest, a wall of hatchets and an I Plead the 2nd shirt on the list of favorite sights from the floor.
New Guns and Gear at SHOT Show 2015
Guns and gear the Gun Websites crew photographed at SHOT Show 2015.
Rifles and Shotguns
- AK-pattern rifles with wood furniture
- Saiga-style shotguns and AK variants
- Rifles with tan handguards in display racks
Pistols and Optics
- Pistol slides cut for red dot sights
- Pistols with colored triggers and tan frames
- Compact tactical flashlights
Knives, Tools and Cleaning
- Hatchets and axes
- Gun cleaning products
- Everyday carry knives, pens and lights
Patches of SHOT Show 2015
2015 was a big patch year. The #BraceThis patch, with its warning not to put it on a shoulder until the ATF weighed in, captured the mood of the show after the January 16 brace letter. The Gun Websites crew came home with stacks of morale patches and stickers: skulls, playing cards, I Love Guns and Coffee, 2nd Matters, Glock and Aguila stickers, and a Gun Websites gear logo patch with a Glock on it.
What We Ate at SHOT Show 2015
Breakfasts in 2015 were serious: buffet trays of bacon, potatoes and eggs, a mountain of donuts, and a bacon and grilled tomato plate to start the day. Dinners leaned on Las Vegas value deals and buffet plates piled with watermelon, mushrooms and corn.
Around SHOT Show 2015
More SHOT Show Years
SHOT Show 2014 ยท SHOT Show 2016
SHOT Show returns to Las Vegas every January. Upcoming dates are on the Gun Show Calendar, and every year of coverage is on the SHOT Show page.