February 12, 2026

The Biggest Missed Shot at SHOT Show 2026

By Larry Keane

Those who know, know: NSSF’s SHOT Show^® is “The Super Bowl” of the firearm industry. Closed to the public, attendees and media alike have their applications to attend closely scrutinized to ensure the convention remains exclusive — limited to manufacturers, retailers, media, industry partnership in government and content creators who can demonstrate they’re a legitimate member of the industry.

But a recent video posted to social media tried to frame SHOT Show as something it isn’t: a shadowy, “invite-only” gathering where attendees “quietly plan the future of gun politics.”

The reality is far less dramatic — and far more familiar to anyone who has ever worked a major trade show — but heaven forbid facts get in the way to produce a faux “riveting exposé.”

Exposing the Absurdity and Danger of the Gun Lobby?

To understand the message, we need to understand the messenger. This video was bought and paid for by March For Our Lives.  Founded in 2018, March For Our Lives was created after the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy in Parkland, Fla., as a way for people to “do something about gun violence.” It is funded by former New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety, the organization claims to “disrupt power by exposing those who enable gun violence” by training and supporting youth across the country, running national campaigns that demand change, and using “art, protests, and storytelling to shift public consciousness” about guns.

Despite what an email circulated by March For Our Lives claims, the characters behind the video didn’t get into SHOT Show. Their footage and “man-on-the-street” ambush interviews take place literally on the street and in public areas and main thoroughfares connected to the convention space; not actually inside the credentialed, trade-only show floor where SHOT Show business is conducted. Admission to SHOT Show requires government-issued photo ID and documentation proving a current direct professional affiliation with the trade. It is not open to the public and obviously, badges are controlled and enforced for a reason.

The provocateurs in the video “gotcha-ed” attendees with hard-hitting questions like, “Do you think there are specific events that lead to gun spikes in gun sales? Like a presidential election or a mass shooting?”, “What’s going to be done about gun violence in America?”, and “Gun violence isn’t a problem in America?” To be clear, the United States is far from the top list of countries with the highest per-capital homicide rate involving a gun; nearly two-thirds of firearm deaths in America are tragically the result of a suicide or accident; the entire country is seeing a historic low in murder rate not seen in decades; and all while a historic high and diverse number of Americans own firearms today.

The half-wits in the video were even so concerned about “getting the real scoop” on all the devious goings-on at SHOT Show that they even went to an unrelated, un-affiliated local anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protest down the street to question the “experts” there about NSSF (unsurprisingly none of them knew anything about NSSF).

Trade-Only, By Design

SHOT Show is the world’s premier trade event for professionals in the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industry — the manufacturers, retailers, distributors, range operators, outdoor media and government buyers who keep a highly regulated industry operating safely and legally. In 2026, SHOT Show brought more than 53,000 industry professionals together in both the The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum, with attendees representing all 50 states and 126 countries.

And, no — it’s not a consumer gun show where firearms are bought and sold or an industry convention where anyone is shaping marketing strategies or firearm designs. SHOT Show is a trade event where products are displayed, orders are written, compliance questions are answered, relationships are built and business collaborations are planned.

Frankly, these clowns would have done their audience more of a service if they had actually spoken to anyone at NSSF about SHOT Show so they could tell their young and impressionable audience about the safety programs and initiatives the firearm industry is so passionate about, including FixNICS^®, Project ChildSafe^®, Don’t Lie for the Other Guy™ and NSSF’s veteran suicide prevention initiative Brave Conversations.

Conversations That Never Happened

The video leans heavily on quick “gotcha” questions and rapid-fire edits — a format designed to produce tension, not understanding. But real progress in any public policy debate doesn’t happen in a five-second soundbite in a hallway. It happens when people sit down face-to-face, speak honestly and listen long enough to learn something.

That’s what SHOT Show enables: thousands of real conversations between people who make and sell lawful, constitutionally protected products, the professionals who train others to use them safely and leaders who want to understand how laws and regulations affect jobs, small businesses and local economies.

Those conversations include policy — as they do at every major industry event in America — but they also include a lot more: education, security, compliance, enforcement partnerships and safety initiatives. In fact, SHOT Show revenue helps support programs that promote safe firearm handling and storage, deter illegal straw purchasing, improve background check records and assist retailers in preventing theft.

The video treats “trade-only” as a scandal. It isn’t. Limiting admission is how you keep the focus on professional business, keep exhibits secure and ensure the people inside are there for lawful commerce and professional education — not wannabe comedians making failed viral gotcha videos (the provocateurs have more than 350,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel, yet only garnered 2,600 views on their fake video in an entire week since posting). SHOT Show’s attendee requirements are clear: it is open to qualified businesses and government entities in the trade — not the general public.

A Better Way Forward

Formed in 1961 to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports, the NSSF has a membership of over 10,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. The debate about firearms is serious and emotional, and the stakes are all too real. The way to reduce division and find common ground forward isn’t to caricature an entire community — or an entire lawful industry — based on innocuous hallway interviews and carefully crafted insinuations.

If we want safer communities and a stronger nation, we need fewer ambush conversations and more honest ones. SHOT Show is built around that principle: professionals gathering to do business, share best practices and defend a constitutional right responsibly — in person, in full view of one another, and with the accountability that comes only from face-to-face engagement.

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