The 2008 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade show and Conference (SHOT Show), held at the Las Vegas Convention Center last month, generated record attendance nearly 60,000 including thousands of law enforcement officers. SHOT Show celebrated its 30th year with its largest show ever, featuring nearly 2,000 exhibitors. The number of law enforcement-specific vendors was so high, they occupied two separate pavilions.
At the Law Officer booth, we got a chance to visit with our readers nearly nonstop. Two of our writers covered the exhibition floor you ll see highlights of the equipment they saw in next month s issue.
SHOT Show attracts a great deal of interest from those involved in law enforcement equipment, both on the buying and selling side, and not all of these vendors are firearms-related. For example, Mocean, a company that manufactures technical and bike-patrol uniforms, received a lot of booth traffic. Bill Levitt, Mocean s owner, says he was there because of a growing law enforcement audience. Of all the shows we attend, this is the best exposure to law enforcement, he says.
In addition to the trade show, SHOT offered some great training seminars for law enforcement. Law Officer sponsored a class presented by Bob Hindi, a 20-year-plus veteran known for his practical approach to field tactics. Hindi gave two spirited seminars on the importance of positioning gear properly on a duty belt, demonstrating how improper gear placement can result in serious problems. (For more on Hindi, visit www.batoncap.com .)
Another excellent seminar was presented by renowned weapons and tactics instructor Wes Doss, a contributor to Law Officer and organizer of the One Inch to 100 Hundred Yards Training Conference (www.warrior-conference.com). Doss discussed alternate- and laser-sighting devices, including their application in training and real situations. The value of both seminars was evident as attendees stayed long after class to speak with the instructors.
Another Law Officer writer, Ralph Mroz, was very visible at SHOT with the Louder Than Words (LTW) group of pistolsmiths. LTW raffled a customized gun, knife and holster combination that resulted in more than $28,000 going to Cops4Kids, a program of the Police Officers Safety Association (www.posai.org).
If you re thinking SHOT might be a good show to attend, you re right on
target. Make plans now for SHOT Show 2009, Jan. 15 18, in Orlando, Fla. For information, visit www.shotshow.com .
Dale Stockton, editor
