The Evolution of SHOT Show

It’s gotten less cringe. There are still plenty of aspects where SHOT Show seems full-bore cult behavior (hello, Trump themed rifles - ironic when he is the only president in the last 20 years to enact more gun control). But, I digress. 

I have seen more cultural diversity at SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show) in the last few years of attending than I have witnessed at the show over the past decade plus that I have been participating in this gigantic trade show.  When I first started attending SHOT Show in 2014, everyone had a very particular look. Tactical cargo pants, a polo or flannel button up, and a beard. Even the women! Just kidding. There were no women. Lest maybe the booth babes and the few wives who played an active role in their husband’s businesses. For the most part, the tactical bros were there on their own, and ready to put the “Sin” in Sin City. The amount of married men that I saw cheating on their spouses, or trying to cheat on their spouses, was astounding. This was still in the age where the tactical industry hadn’t quite yet discovered social media and didn’t realize that Instagram likes were public. Remember when people’s creepy habits were listed in your Instagram activity for everyone to see? That’s what SHOT Show was like, except in-person. My first year, I was both verbally and physically sexually assaulted (constant inappropriate comments, frequent non-consensual ass-grabbing). I was still new to the industry and incredibly naive, so I thought it was all part of the territory and something that I had to put up with in order to be successful. Fucked up, I know. But for a small-town girl who was raised in a very strict evangelical culture that emphasized the “she deserved it” culture, I wasn’t even fully aware of what sexual assault looked like until many years later. Unfortunately, this kind of mentality and naivete allowed me to get taken advantage of in more ways than one. I saw and heard about men cheating on their significant others (or trying to) and witnessed way too many disgusting stories where women were demeaned and treated as transactional property. “Locker-room talk” was a constant; and if women didn’t put up with it, ignore it, or didn’t try to fit in as “one of the boys”, they were exiled and given far less opportunities than women who catered to every male authority figure with absolute deference. In many respects, the firearm industry is still very much built on that Old Boys Club model. 

However, the industry has evolved. Slowly and begrudgingly, the industry has been forced to accept those who don’t fit into the traditional 2A model, all in the name of the almighty dollar. In the past few years, I have witnessed women standing up for themselves against companies who have made sexual harassment part of their culture. Young gun models who have been groomed from their teen years into adulthood by predatory gun companies have made a stand against this previously accepted behavior. Influencers who have been sexually assaulted have publicly spoken out against their abusers. It takes an incredibly strong woman to speak out against this kind of good’ol boy behavior, because while her actions may inspire and support other women who are coming into the industry; on the flip side, these women are also receiving the full brunt of harassment from the overwhelming majority of firearm enthusiasts who still have archaic views about women and other minorities. I know this to be a fact, because I am one of those women who has been relentlessly harassed anytime that I have spoken honestly about my experience within this industry.  All one has to do is look back at the comments on my social medias when ESPN featured me in one of their articles. The blowback from that article actually resulted in me getting sponsorships and collaborations cancelled in a witch hunt style campaign led by beleaguered and male influencer/colleague who was infuriated by my speaking honestly about my experience and personal views. This same individual has also made consistent effort to get me black-balled from the industry; simply because I don’t fit into the “traditional” box and speak candidly and openly about my differences within this industry. It is incredibly hard to exist within this industry if you do not fit into a very specific lifestyle and hardline political affiliation. But, that is changing.

While social media tends to embolden hate; it also tends to embolden those who want to drown out the hate. Thanks to social media, I have been able to connect with lots of other airsoft and firearm enthusiasts who also believe in things like diversity, inclusion, social support, and equal rights for all. These fellow Rebels have been leading the online fight against the Empire in order to bring hope to the next generation. Thankfully, these people are also willing to show up in person to walk their talk - and I see more and more of these people every year at the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Now, when I walk around the floor or attend the SHOT Show parties and after parties, I don’t have to worry about getting sexually assaulted and then guilted into helping cover it up. Now, when a person brings unwanted contact onto another person, the perpetrator actually faces consequences for their actions. Women are less and less afraid to call out bad behavior, and men are less afraid to stand up to those people who think that masculinity is achieved by harming other people. 

I see diversity on the floor. There’s still a lot of cargo pants, flannels, and beards, but now there are also a lot of people who dress outside of the traditional earth color palette. Women aren’t relegated to just being booth babes; they own companies and command sales teams.  I see a rainbow of ethnicities and cultures walking the show floor. People aren’t afraid to wear silly outfits and just be goofy and have fun.  Ten years ago, I don’t think anyone would have even thought it was possible to show up to SHOT Show looking and acting differently from the unspoken uniform and code of conduct without being verbally or physically assaulted. Maybe I’m being dramatic. But that’s what it felt like to me. I mean, I was sexually assaulted at SHOT Show before, and I know for a fact that I am just one of many people within this industry who have had personal dealings with this issue, so…I don’t think that I am THAT dramatic. 

People are less afraid to speak up for the little guy, less afraid to be authentically themselves. I know that our current political climate is incredibly polarizing, and it can feel hopeless for anyone within this industry who doesn’t fit into the traditional box. If you are one of those people, I want you to know - it’s not as bad as the media makes it look. There is still hope. The Rebels are showing up in bigger and bigger numbers, and they are all fighting for you. Keep showing up, it’s making a positive difference. After all, rebellions are built on hope. 

May the Force be With You; Live Long and Prosper,

Leah <3