The NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits is underway in Nashville. 550 vendors and organizations have exhibits at the big NRA Show this year. All totaled there are nine acres of guns and gear on display. Here are images from the Exhibit Hall at the Music City Center.
Stuff to Do on Saturday at the NRA Meeting:
NRA Freedom Festival presented by Beretta
8:00am – 6:00pm, 5th Avenue
Jam out with rising country music stars all weekend at this free block party right outside the Music City Center. Today’s lineup includes Jacob Davis, Radio Romance, Tim Dugger, and seven other up-and-coming artists.
Wall of Guns
8:00am – 6:00pm, Main concourse
The NRA Foundation’s popular gun give-away is back for another year. Sponsored by Henry Repeating Arms, Kel-Tec, and Kimber, the Wall of Guns features more than 70 different makes and models. A winner is selected for every 100 $20 tickets that are sold.
Seminars, Workshops & Special Presentations
Various times and locations on the 2nd floor
Learn the basics of the popular 3-Gun shooting sport, the best way to cook wild game, different methods for concealed carry, take a Refuse To Be A Victim course, hear the history of sniping in the First World War, and so much more.
The NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits extravaganza is just a week away. Registration starts on Thursday April 9th, and the Exhibit Hall opens at 9:00 am on Friday the 10th. If you are planning to attend, here are some links that can enhance your experience:
Exhibit Hall Hours:
Friday, April 10: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 11: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 12: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Registration Hours:
Thursday, April 9: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 10: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 11: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 12: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Exhibit Hall is FREE to NRA Members and their immediate family. If you are not an NRA member you will be required to join before the show or when you arrive.
Free Hotel Shuttle Bus Service
The NRA offers free shuttles from downtown hotels to the Music City Center all weekend. There are three routes serving different hotel areas. Shuttles run 8:00 am to 7:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday.
FREE Event Planner Mobile App
NRA Annual Meeting Attendees with smartphones should definitely download the FREE Show Planner App. With versions for both iOS and Android devices, the App includes: Interactive Map of Exhibit Hall (with booth locations), Event Schedule, New Product List, and Seminar/Workshop Info.
Firearms Law Seminar
The 18th Annual NRA Foundation National Firearms Law Seminar will be held Friday, April 10. This seminar will cover current litigation trends, civil rights, self-defense laws, ATF audits, NFA Trust law, firearm forensics, and more. To register, visit NRAFoundation.org/lawseminar or call 1-877-NRF-LAWS.
Country Music Concert on Friday
The NRA Country Jam Street Festival will light up lower Broadway in Nashville on Friday, April 10. The FREE 5th Annual NRA Country Jam, starting Hank Williams Jr. and Colt Ford, starts at 6:00 pm right outside the Music City Center.
The NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits extravaganza is less than a month away. From April 10-12, the NRA will hold its annual gathering at the Music City Center in Nashville. This is a big event with over 550 exhibitors in a 450,000 square-foot facility.
One of the highlights this year will be the presence of the “Gun Gurus”, firearms experts Jim Supica and Phil Schreier of the NRA Museum. Jim and Phil will film an episode of NRA Gun Gurus while in Nashville. If you own an historic, collectible, or unique firearm, here’s your chance to have it evaluated by two of the foremost firearm experts in the world. You can apply today to have your firearm evaluated. If you make the cut, you (and your guns) may appear on a future episode of NRA Gun Gurus.
Interested in learning about your most prized firearm? CLICK HERE to request a session with the NRA Gun Gurus in Nashville on April 9, 2015. You’ll need to submit an image and description of your gun.
“Nine Acres of Guns and Gear — Are you ready?” Those were the words of NRA President James (“Jim”) Porter as he announced the official Opening of the 143rd NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits. Porter then cut a red ribbon — with a little help from Brenda Potterfied and Eliza, her granddaughter (see photo at right).
During the opening ceremony, Porter told the waiting crowd: “As you walk around the exhibit hall today, keep this in mind — this is where freedom lives.” Along with NRA President Porter were NRA 2nd Vice President Pete Brownell, Executive Director of NRA General Operation Kyle Weaver, NRA Treasurer and CFO Woody Phillips, MidwayUsa’s Brenda and Larry Potterfield, and NRA Secretary Major James Land.
After an exciting Opening Day of the NRA Convention, things heat up on Day Two, Saturday. Here are Six of the Major Happenings at Indianapolis today.
1. The Annual Meeting of Members
Thousands headed into the Sagamore Ballroom at 10:00 am for a review of 2013, where the NRA is headed this year, and how the NRA will promote pro-Second Amendment candidates in the 2014 Congressional elections.
2. The Wall of Guns
For $20 a ticket you earn a 1-in-100 chance of winning one of the more than 80 guns display in a custom rolling case built by Legacy Outdoors. Rifles, pistols, shotguns — the whole shebang.
3. The Survival Mindset: Are you Prepared Workshop
Kyle Lamb, a retired Sergeant Major from Delta Force, shares his experience from five tours in Iraq, serving his country. The Survival Mindset seminar will be held at 2:00pm in rooms 133-135.
4. NRA Certified Instructor Update
With trainers brought in from all across the country, here you can discover how the best of the best engage their students, drive home the lessons, and promote safe shooting.
5. Refuse to be a Victim Training
Learn where to park, where to walk, how to handle your internet experiences, and burglar-proof the home. Kicking off at 1:00 pm in Room 232, Refuse to be a Victim is a 4-hour investment in living a more secure and protected life.
6. The Stand and Fight Rally
The NRA’s Stand and Fight Rally, the major event of the weekend, brings big names to the Lucas Oil Stadium for a Saturday night to remember. After leading political figures speak on behalf of gun rights, legendary country group Alabama (with 34 Billboard Country #1 hits) takes the stage.
Are you ready for the 2014 NRA Annual Meetings? The 143rd NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, April 25-27, 2014. This will be a huge event, attracting thousands of NRA members. The NRA Exhibits is a smaller version of SHOT Show, with over 600 exhibitors lined up in 400,000+ square feet of exhibit hall space. You’ll find products from every major firearms manufacturer in the country, plus accessories, outdoor gear, and more.
Along with the political speeches, there will be educational seminars, celebrity appearances, and even an indoor air-gun range. You can view priceless “investment-grade” firearms in the NRA’s gun collector area, or book a hunt from a dozens of leading outfitters and guide services.
Get Free NRA 2014 Mobile Apps
To help you organize your visit to the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, the NRA has created FREE Apps for mobile devices. There are versions for iPhones and iPads, Android devices, and even Blackberries. These handy apps make it easy to plan your agenda and locate exhibitors. The Apps even have an interactive floor-plan (site map), so you can map out your “plan of attack” in advance. Here are key App features:
Interactive Floor-plan
Exhibitor List & Descriptions
Set ‘Favorites’ and Take Notes
New Products & Product Categories
Complete Schedule of Events, with Workshops, Seminars and Tickete Events.
This week’s episode of Shooting USA TV features the NRA Annual meeting and the U.S. National Steel Championships, two segments worth watching. Shooting USA airs Wednesdays on the Outdoor Channel, at 3:30 pm, 8:30 pm, and 12:00 midnight (Thursday) Eastern Time (check with your TV carrier for other time zones).
Over 86,000 members attended the NRA’s Annual Meeting and new Product Show held this year in Houston’s giant convention center. With gun issues being so prominent in recent months, the NRA added over 1,000,000 new members in 2013. Not surprisingly, there was a huge turn-out in Houston. Shooting USA interviews industry leaders and spotlights Product Show highlights.
U.S. National Steel Championship
In the world of action shooting, there is no other sound that instantly draws the attention like a round hitting a steel plate. It’s been called “bang and clang” and “drag racing with guns”. For three days, at the U.S. National Steel Championships in Florida, the fastest pistol shooters from across the nation competed for glory, prize money, and the title of “America’s Fastest Gun”. This year the Main Match came down to an epic battle between KC Eusebio and Max Michel, two of the fastest shooters on the planet. Visit www.USSteelshoot.com for more info and complete match results.
Watch Video of KC Eusebio in Action at 2013 U.S. National Steel Championships:
Next month, the Lone Star State hosts the 2013 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits. From May 2-5, an estimated 550 companies will display their latest products across 445,000 square feet of space in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center. There will be scores of new guns and firearms accessories on display.
Here are some of the New Products that will be on display at the NRA Meetings in Houston:
BARRETT: MRAD multi-caliber rifle (.338 LM, .300 WM, .308 Win). BENELLI USA: New M2 Field shotgun variants. BERETTA: New competition over/under shotguns, the 692 Sporting and XT, and DT11. BERGARA USA: New line of “semi-custom” hunting and tactical rifles. BROWNING: New AB3 A-Bolt with new bolt, action, trigger. BUSHMASTER: 308 Hunter, Predator, Varminter rifles now have Magpul stocks. CROSMAN: New AR-style air rifle (MSR77 NP), and MK-177 tactical pump pellet rifle. CZ: New 455 rimfire bolt-actions –Tacticool, SST Varmint, and Varmint Thumbhole. FNH USA: New FN SC 1 over/under target shotgun with 30″ barrel. GAMO: New “Bull Whispers”, bull-barrel air rifles with NS-52 dampener to lower noise. MOSSBERG: New pump-action shotguns wiht Harmonic Damper Technology to reduce perceived recoil. NOSLER CUSTOM: New Model 48 Outfitter Rifle with custom action and hand-lapped ss barrel. REMINGTON: New Model 783, low-priced bolt-action rifle with adjustable ‘Crossfire’ trigger. RUGER: New 6-lb, compact American Rifle models in .243 and 7mm-08. SAVAGE: New B-Mag 17 WSM rifle, chambered for the new .17 Win Super Mag rimfire cartridge. SMITH & WESSON: New M&P 10 flat-top .308 Win AR-platform rifle with factory camo finish. STEYR: Mannlicher Pro African rifle with new soft-finish composite stock that is quiet in bush. THOMPSON/CENTER: New Venture Compact, with shorter barrel and composite stock with LOP spacers. WEATHERBY: Upgraded Back Country Vanguard S2 rifle with Cerakote Tactical Grey metalwork. WINCHESTER: “Ultimate Shadow” m70 bolt-action hunting rifles in stocks with rubberized surfaces.
Mark your calendars for May 3-5, 2013. Those are the dates for the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, to be held this year in Houston, Texas.
As ever, there will be plenty to see and do at the NRA National Meetings/Exhibits. There will be seminars, celebrity appearances, and priceless collections of firearms. Virtually all the major gunmakers in the country should have their latest products on display. In fact, there will be over 550 exhibitors whose displays will cover 400,000 square feet of exhibit hall space. In addition to fireams, you can see knives, wildlife art, shooting accessories, hunting gear, ATVs, and much more. You’ll even find an airgun range on site where you can shoot air rifles provided by Pyramyd Air.
Photo from Previous NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits.
Mark you calendars for April 13-15, 2012. Those are the dates for the 141st NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, to be held this year in St. Louis, Missouri. As ever, there will be plenty to see and do at the NRA National Meetings/Exibits. There will be seminars, celebrity appearances, and priceless collections of firearms. Virtually all the major gunmakers in the country should have their latest products on display. In fact, there will be more than 500 exhibitors, whose displays will cover 340,000 square feet of exhibit hall space. In addition to fireams, you can see knives, wildlife art, shooting accessories, hunting gear, ATVs, and much more. You’ll even find an airgun range on site where you can shoot air rifles provided by Pyramyd Air.
To learn more about the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, visit www.NRAM.org, the NRA’s Meetings/ Exhibits website. There you’ll find floorplans, seminar schedules, lists of exhibitors, plus information on hotels and travel. Look for the latest updates on the NRA’s Facebook Page.
The Swedish company Norma is making a major push to expand sales in the North American market. As part of this effort it is re-packaging Norma cartridge brass in affordable, 25-count boxes labeled “Norma USA”. At the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Norma USA will introduce a complete line of US, European, and Weatherby cartrige brass for the consumer market. The brass will be sold in 25-count consumer packs with new Norma USA branding and graphics. According to a Norma spokesman, “the idea behind the 25-count pack is to provide an affordable option. Folks can try the brass, see how good it is, and then buy larger quantities as needed.” Later, Norma plans to offer 100- or 250-count “Shooters Packs”.
Here’s the big news folks: Norma is finally getting its USA distribution system in order — at least that’s the plan. Norma USA will warehouse and fulfill all Norma products in all calibers by mid-February of 2012 with distribution through major US retailers. Hopefully this means product will be on the shelves and there won’t be long waits “for the boat to arrive”.
To support the Norma USA product line, a completely new, up-to-date Norma USA website will be launched mid-January 2012. In addition, the Norma USA product launch will be supported by an extensive advertising campaign in NRA publications. Norma reps will also attend the NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, April 12 – 15, 2012. New loaded ammo offerings will be announced at the Annual Meeting. (Sorry, Norma won’t release any info on the new ammo at this time.)