Gun shows grew out of collector club meetings into some of the largest trade events in the country. These are the key dates behind the shows, the laws that shape them and the industry events covered on Gun Show Reviews.
1871 The National Rifle Association is founded. Its yearly gathering later grows into the NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits, one of the largest firearm events in the country.
1955 The Indian Territory Gun Collectors hold a 19-table show at the old armory in Tulsa. It grows into the Wanenmacher Tulsa Arms Show, billed as the largest gun show in the world.
1961 The National Shooting Sports Foundation is founded as the trade association for the firearm industry.
1968 The Gun Control Act creates the modern Federal Firearms License and limits licensed dealers to doing business at the address on their license, which keeps them away from gun shows.
1975 Bob and Lynn Templeton start Crossroads of the West in Salt Lake City, which grows into one of the largest gun show promoters in the West.
1979 The first SHOT Show, the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, opens in St. Louis, Missouri, run by the NSSF.
1986 The Firearm Owners Protection Act lets licensed dealers sell at gun shows in their home state, and dealer tables become a fixture of the show floor.
Mid-1980s The Second Amendment Foundation and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms begin the yearly Gun Rights Policy Conference.
1994 The Brady Act takes effect, requiring licensed dealers to run background checks, including at gun shows.
1998 The FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System goes live on November 30, replacing the Brady waiting period with an instant check at the dealer table. ATF counts more than 4,400 advertised gun shows that year.
2009 The SHOT Show is held in Orlando for the last time with close to 49,000 attendees. SHOT Show 2009 is in the archive.
2010 The SHOT Show settles in Las Vegas at the Sands Expo, its home every year since.
2014 SHOT Show attendance peaks at more than 67,000.
2021 The SHOT Show is canceled for the first time in its history because of the pandemic. Many local shows go dark for a year or more.
2022 The SHOT Show returns to the renamed Venetian Expo with about 43,000 attendees. See SHOT Show 2022.
2023 More than 52,000 attend SHOT Show 2023.
2026 The SHOT Show draws more than 53,000, and the Gun Rights Policy Conference holds its 41st annual meeting.
More history and event dates are on the network calendar at Gun Calendars.com. Back to Where To Start.
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