2016 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits Gallery
The 2016 iteration of the National Rifle Association Annual Meetings and Exhibits (NRAAM) has drawn to a close and it was a resounding success.
With just over 80,000 in attendance over the three-day span, this year’s event was the second biggest in the show’s 145-year history, creating what the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates to be a $53 million economic impact for the city.
The GunLink team was there from the pre-show events to the closing bell on the last day (serenaded out by Mark Wills at the FN booth). We got to catch up with some old friends, speak with exhibitors and attendees, spend money on show specials, and snap photos. In case you were not able to make it to Louisville, here is some of what you missed…
George Zimmerman Auctioning Pistol Used in Self Defense Shooting
Update – Auction Terminated Before it Even Started
The February 26, 2012 self-defense shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman seems so long ago now. The case divided much of the nation, stirred up protests – some violent, and had many CCW-ers putting themselves in Zimmerman’s position: what if I had to defend myself with lethal force? An unpleasant enough prospect, even without having your name publicly dragged through the mud in nationwide news coverage that resulted in receiving numerous death threats.
Since the trial, Zimmerman has been periodically popping up in news feeds for various shenanigans, including being arrested for allegations of aggravated assault and domestic violence (twice), being shot at in an apparent road rage incident, getting caught speeding, and ruffling feathers on social media with a number of controversial posts, mainly on his now-banned Twitter account. Now, in his latest bid (no pun intended) for the limelight – and some extra walking-around money – Zimmerman is auctioning off the KelTec PF-9 pistol that was used in the self defense shooting.
The auction, which runs on Gun Broker (auction #558112068), begins today at 11AM with a starting bid of $5,000. Clearly never one to avoid getting in a few jabs, the auction listing has the following description: Continue reading
Jeb Bush’s Gun Tweet Backfires
Some people just won’t ever get it. Jeb may not be our first choice for the next POTUS, but we can certainly appreciate a little gun porn now and then. The former Florida governor posted a picture of a personalized pistol and the haters came out of the woodwork.
It turns out that opinions are like… well, see for yourself.
Jeb Bush’s Gun Tweet Backfires
Source: VOA News
Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush got a lot of attention for tweeting a picture of a gun engraved with his name, but it was likely not the kind of attention he wanted.
The former Florida governor tweeted a picture of a semi-automatic pistol Tuesday, captioned “America.” Continue reading
Firearms Guide Makes Jump from DVD to “The Cloud”
We have told you about the Firearms Guide in the past as it has grown and matured from a disk-based database of firearms information to a more comprehensive suite that includes high resolution photos, schematics, gun and ammo specs, printable targets and more; as well as growing to include specialized versions for niches such as tactical rifles. Now the firearms guide has made the next step since the previous disk-based version as it moves into “the cloud“.
Firearms Guide bills itself as the first fully researchable global database of firearms, air guns, and ammunition created for industry professionals and enthusiasts. The guide enables searches of antique and modern guns along with side by side comparisons of search results. Firearms are cross-referenced with the ammunition database and the guide also includes a separately searchable firearms schematic database. Continue reading
Jerry Miculek Dual Wields Arsenal Double-Barreled 1911.
“Does that make it a .90ACP?”
We first showed you Arsenal’s double-barreled 1911 pistol during the 2013 SHOT Show. Despite receiving a lot of questions about them, we have yet to see one out in the wild. No huge surprise there, with a price rivaling a decent used car and, perhaps, little practical use.
Jerry got his hands on a couple of them for some quad-wielding action and put the video up on his channel:
Pre-NRAAM Glock 43 Launch Party in Nashville
On the evening before opening day of the 2015 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Nashville, Tennessee – just weeks after the early rumors and official announcement – a small group of attendees was invited to the Nashville Armory for the official Glock 43 launch party. The GunLink team was among that group and we had a chance to see, handle, and shoot the new single-stack 9mm pistol before most people even see them show up at their gun shop. There isn’t much that can improve on shooting “free” ammo out of other people’s guns (and we took the opportunity to make two trips each through the firing queue with 3 mags on each round) – but being a brand-new pistol made it that much better.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be impressed. On paper, the specs didn’t seem that ground breaking. It has roughly the same profile as a double-stack G26, albeit thinner, but with a significantly reduced capacity (6+1). The Glock representative at the event referred to it as basically a “Glock 26 Slim” (see the comparison below, left-to-right: G42, G43, G26) It is too big for pocket carry but too small for a high round count and, I thought, too small to be comfortable to shoot.
The G43 is a good example of why you cannot judge a book by its cover, or a pistol by its spec sheet. Continue reading
