2012 SHOT Show: After Show Report

The SHOT Show was great this year with a lot of interesting booths and products to fill every conceivable niche.

Lots of small innovative companies showing off their products like Parabellum Armament finding a need in the market place and filing it. It's unfortunate that the smaller companies coming out with innovative products don't get that much attention. I personally like to go out of my way and find them. All in all it was pretty exciting and fun time if not a bit overwhelming.

The AR is obviously the most popular platform available today and fast becoming the de facto standard for a modern rifle in this Century much like the 1911 has become the symbol of an American handgun over the last century and into the future. The AR platform is being morphed to shoot anything, anytime, anywhere.

A lot of companies are producing AR rifles with their unique twist on the role it is ultimately destined to fulfill. From hunting, self defense, target shooting, or competition there is rifle to fill the need.

Other popular rifles are the AK variety geared toward more survivalist, hardcore crowd with a need for a no nonsense I need this thing to go bang no-matter-what. A lot of cool products to help bring that weapon into the Twenty First Century like the company I mentioned above.

Lots of law enforcement tools being produced, I would imagine, do to the perceived terrorist threat coming from where ever or the slow militarization of the civilian law enforcement to counter sophisticated, coordinated attacks from a organized terror unit. Whatever the reason there is a lot of high tech gadgetry to counter such threats.

Another interesting observation was the that this is the Paleozoic age of firearms and firearm accessories. Every conceivable variation of firearm is being born. AR rifles that accept AK magazines, shot shell shooting revolvers, sub compact .380 handgun explosion, a cornucopia of AR rifles to suit any need or budget, tactical lever guns, crazy chainsaw shotguns. So many ideas of the past melding together into a whole new taxonomy of guns.

It seems like a never ending hunger for new guns and gadgetry is reaching new heights and the quality of guns is generally getting better and better (despite unsubstantiated claims) that the consumers get to choose from.

This could be due to the side effects of an administration that is hostile to guns, the internet effect, the video game effect. One thing for sure attitudes towards gun are changing. More women are getting into firearms for self defense too. New studies show 85% of the people support the 2nd Amendment and a right for the individual to bear arms.

This is is pretty awesome in general and I hope the trend continues with the repealing of stupid laws like suppressors are evil and so are short barrel rifles. These are antiquated laws written in another era to reign in gangsters and the like. Now they aren't needed. Gun control laws only hurt the law abiding citizen.

Anyway. Can't wait for SHOT SHOW 2012 part II next year. I'm superstitious and suffer from Triskaidekaphobia.