Safety at the Firearm Industry’s Largest Range Event

Industry Day at the Range is North America’s largest firearm event for print and digital media correspondents.

It’s held the day before SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show), the annual trade event held by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). All types of firearms, from the latest handguns and rifles, to automatic firearms and crossbows are available for media to test.

If it shoots a projectile, reporters have the opportunity handle and fire it during Industry Day at the Range.

“Safety is priority number one,” says event co-owner Cathy Williams of CMG Marketing & Events. “We hire over 100 range safety officers to ensure all participants leave the same way they arrived, unharmed.”

This is borne out in the event’s safety record. In its entire history, not a single person was wounded by a bullet. The only injuries are paper cuts and abrasions from triggers and trigger guards. This proves what insurance companies have known for generations – shooting ranges are among the safest places on earth.

The statistics for SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range:

• 72 shooting ranges
• 200+ companies showing off their latest guns and gear
• 1,800+ attendees
• over 500,000 rounds fired downrange
• Zero injuries

For Canadians, one of this year’s highlights was the Cadex Defence shooting bay, where the company showed off its latest precision rifles. Canadian sniper Rob Furlong, who once held the record for the longest confirmed sniper kill in combat (2,430 m), coached range attendees on the basics of precision marksmanship. In the photo below, Mr. Furlong is coaching a member of the Canadian media.

“Best day ever,” said the man who preferred to remain anonymous. “I just hit that 500 metre target 3 out of 3 times and got to shake Rob Furlong’s hand and thank him for his service to our nation. It doesn’t get better than this.”

Yes, a precision rifle, quality optics and coaching from one of the world’s elite marksman help immensely, but the rifle’s operator must still control myriad factors to make the shot.

In an age where media outlets insist firearms are dangerous and politicians strive to ban guns on both sides of the border, SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range proves them all wrong.