As someone who possessed a FFL license for decades I enjoyed going my yearly sojourn to Las Vegas every year to attend the Shot Show.
My wife looked forward to shopping the toney stores that don’t exist in S. Dakota, and I enjoyed seeing the new additions to my favorite
sports, shooting and hunting.
I released my FFL 7 years ago and have attended Shot Show as a interested observer courtesy of my favorite FFL Dealer in Sturgis, S.D.,
he would send his application to Shot Show and include me a as a employee/sales staff, and a good time was had by all.
This year however he notified me that the NSSF ( National Shooting Sports Foundation ) the governing body of the Shot Show and the same
institution that was instrumental in helping President Clinton to use BATF to hound out of business all of the ( kitchen table ) dealers during
his administration, had radically changed the protocols for attendance to Shot Show 2019.
This year Dealers who are the designated buyer cannot designate another employee as a buyer at the $35.00 fee, anyone other than the
designated buyer/principal incurs a $135.00 fee to attend, and the protocols to attend as a employee/sales staff mandate you include 3
months of paycheck stubs to qualify as staff and the qualifications just ratchet up from there.
This will effectively parse the overall attendance to Shot Show by at least a third in my opinion, and diminish the show overall because the
Shot Show like all exhibitions is a numbers game, the more people who pass by a exhibitors booth/table the better the odds that they will
buy or at least pass on the information to friends and like minded .
The NSSF is a big club and you ain’t in it.
I would gladly pay $135 to go. Wouldn’t even bat an eye. The pay stubs would obviously never happen, which is why I may never go. Going to the AIA convention costs more than double that, and that is on top of the $600yr membership dues… And I am 100% certain the AIA convention isn’t as much fun as SHOT Show.
Every few years they tighten the rules and raise the fees. An attendance goes up. AFAIK, the fee was $70 for the past several years.
No offense, but anything to eliminate non-buying “interested observer” like yourself is OK with me. 1/3 less attendees would be a dream come true for me.
Yeah, I suspect they’re just trying to cut down on the numbers randos roaming around choking up the aisles and booths and keeping actual buyers from doing business with vendors.
That’s how it should be. You couldn’t PAY me to go to SHOT. As someone who is NOT in the industry, I don’t belong there, and I don’t want to be there.
If this cuts down on non-buyer, “interested observers” and internet celebrities roaming around, perfect. SHOT is a business and the convention has become a zoo. I’d venture to say it has gotten a little out of control.
Based on social media feedback, SHOT is a zoo and many buyers in the industry don’t go because of it. This may lure many back.
Yeah, kinda. Non FFL attendees have kind of screwed it up for everyone. But given the venue and problems in the past, I probably won’t be going any time soon anyway. And won’t solve the problem anyway, plenty of people willing to go to a “huge gun show” and pay the fee and they will still walk around like they are a supplier to three countries and crap like that.
You’re fellow m4c members don’t want you in the SHOT show.
That goes hand in hand with this
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-...aCnwaBkUhGwDqY
H. R. 7115
Those Corporate/Statists want all the control of anyone wanting to build their own firearm or customize/repair theirs at less than retail !
Just the ones that are FFLs trying to conduct business at Shot. A decade ago I was able to put together some great deals since I was able to talk to owners or key reps. A couple small shop manufacturers told me I sold more than anyone else that year.
But at some point I ended up standing in lines 20-40 deep with guys trying to grab free calendars and other swag at the HK and FN booths and I said screw it and walked away. Shot is there for what, four days? They should just have a non FFL day at $150 a ticket and then give actual industry people a couple days to do business.
Guys who are “in the industry” because they make homemade paracord survival bracelets and other crafts that they sell on ebay and then go to shot to fill a push cart with free promotional material which they then sell on ebay have no business there at all.
Never fails, if I’m not there on day ONE I don’t get a HK law enforcement catalog because some jackhole has grabbed all of them to sell. It’s not exactly free to be a FFL / SOT but it seems I’m in line behind the “free shit for me” crowd all the time.
Agreed with all of this. I’ll save you all the catalogs. LOL.
If anyone thinks their going to offset a trip to SHOT/Vegas by selling swag, good luck with that.
Less people? I would call that winning! If you are not a REAL BUYER (with at least $100k in your bank account) stay home and just go to the NRA show.
C4
Agreed!
I went to SHOT for years as a buyer and you could not pay me to go back as a non-industry dude. I’d much rather sip my coffee in the comfort of my home and watch the bazillion videos that showcase all the cool stuff. And really, half the stuff you’re seeing is unavailable, will never be available, or will become available and suck.
LOL
A lot of vendors would not be allowed in!
But these guys are fine with “beer money” profits. They don’t have FFLs, it’s usually a hobby business and they have a day job or live in their parents basement.
Vegas is the part that also sucks. Getting a suite in Orlando was almost free by comparison. Just more reasons I don’t bother with Shot any more.
No kidding. I have 100k in inventory, but not in my bank account.
100% agree. I don’t mind the attendance, but it is frustrating when buyers cannot access reps, products, etc because people who will never write an order are taking up space in the booths.
Reading through this makes me curious: If you are a buyer, and go to the H&K booth for example and let’s say you want to buy 100 MP5’s (for example) will H&K sell them to you directly as a buyer or would you have to go through their “distributors”. I’d imagine it varies by manufacturer of course. I attend a similar trade show for my industry (Permian Basin International Oil Show) which is really for industry folks and buyers only, Not open to the public, and many products are only available through distribution and not direct. It seems like the manufacturers are only there to show off the newest toys. The free swag is cool, of course.