Remembering shooting industry connections during past shows in Vegas

At my first few Shot Show I remember when it was at the Las Vegas Convention Center before shifting it to the Sands. I was working in marketing in the body armor industry with as a supporting vendor to companies like Safariland and Point Blank, and even Oliver North’s Guardian Technologies, to name a few. Back then I was involved in promoting the new Spectra Shield ballistic material from the former AlliedSignal. That includes shields and helmets as well, and even ballistic underwear, thought that didn’t do well.

Now I recount working with a small skunk works aerospace company that developed the first UAV which is commonly referred to today as a drone. It was something new, and exciting, and is now a fixture in today’s defense industry, along with advanced smart munitions and advanced avionics systems that I also got involved in during the 1990s.

In later years, I worked with other companies and got involved with more of a firearm accessory product line mix, working with quite a few OEMs like Glock, SigSauer, Savage Arms and Para-Ordnance, and even major defense contractors making medium caliber weapons and missile systems like General Dynamics, Raytheon, Dillon Aero, FN, US Ordnance, IMI among others. The theme here was getting to work with real experts and innovators within the weapons community – at Shot, but more so at specialty defense industry events.

I recall the endless lines year after year for those waiting for a chance to meet and get a photo or an autograph from Sgt. Lee Ermey of Full Metal Jacket and Mail Call fame. One year, I got to sit with the Gunney on the plane back to the East Coast. He was pretty spent, and on his way to do some commercial work. My old contact David Sevigny, probably the most prolific competition shooter of this era, was much more low profile, kind of like a real-life John Wick character. Very sincere, humble, and wicked fast and accurate with that Glock pistol.

In recent years I noticed Shot Show mainstays are long gone, like the older folk who walked around covered in pins and buttons. Maybe they passed on, or maybe exhibitors don’t offer anything like that any longer to add as accoutrements. Just one example of the unique experience you get from attending. It makes the trip worth it. It’s about the people. Mostly patriotic, polite and full of good stories.

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