Pick it up, sight it in

If you’re not into crowds you’ll want to steer clear of Law Vegas next January when the SHOT Show returns to the Sands. The 38th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show and Conference outdid itself this year with a whopping 64,000+ warm bodies in attendance.
If you don’t mind waiting in a line with 50 or more people for coffee at any given hour of the day, well then the trip may just be worth it for you…if only for a chance to get your hands on the hundreds of new-to-market pistols, shotguns and rifles (and their accessories…and anything else an officer could possibly ever want or need). It’s certainly impressive.
My favorite thing about SHOT Show, though, is always the people. This year I bounced from meeting to meeting most days getting the scoop on new products and trends in the industry. And I was pleasantly surprised when Lou Ann Hamblin, CEO of the incredible organization Louka Tactical Training, caught up with me and introduced herself as being from “page 15” of January LET. Sure enough, Hamblin was one of the many accomplished team members and trainers featured in Keith Strandberg’s cover story about women in tactical units. So we got to catch up. I learned that in addition to presenting at national conferences, Hamblin’s been helping to design women’s tactical apparel and is basically ever at the forefront of firearms and defensive tactics training.
Yes, the show itself is kind of a circus. It gets bigger every year. But just the sheer numbers alone are impressive. It’s why people come from as far away as the U.K. and Dubai to swim with the current and wait in line for a chance to pick up a product, sight it in, and compare notes. Don’t miss Lindsey Bertomen’s breathless SHOT Show product re-cap on page 26, or our extra show coverage we couldn’t fit into this issue on Officer.com.
Maybe I’ll see you there next year!