NSSF Drops Reed Exhibitions, New Management for SHOT to be Decided

The National Shooting Sports Foundation announced this week that Reed Exhibitions, the management group known for banning AR-style rifles from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, a decision that consequently got the show cancelled, will no longer manage and produce the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show.

According to a press release by the NSSF, both parties decided to terminate the agreement they had for the management of the show and the termination takes effect immediately. The NSSF is now actively searching for a new management company to produce the 2014 SHOT Show.

SHOT is the largest trade show of its kind and caters to military, law enforcement and the hunting crowds. Reed managed and produced SHOT for more than three decades, according to the statement.

Although the Eastern Sports Show, an annual event hosted in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is unrelated to the NSSF and the SHOT Show, the NSSF said that because of Reed’s decision to ban certain types of firearms at that show it would be conflicting for the NSSF as representatives of the gun industry to continue the relationship.

In January, a time when the debate over the validity of AR-style rifles as something other than an “assault rifle” was in full force, Reed announced that it would ban the sale and display of them at the Eastern Sports Show. Reed said was made in an effort to avoid controversy and return focus to hunting and outdoor activity. Even though the decision sparked outrage within the gun community and almost 200 exhibitors boycotted the show, Reed said it would not reverse its decision. The show was officially cancelled just days before it was scheduled to start.

The NSSF’s announcement comes weeks after the NRA was selected to replace Reed as host of the Eastern Sports Show, which was renamed the “Great American Outdoor Show.” The show will be similar to the Eastern Sports Show in that it will still reside in Harrisburg, run in early February and cater to hunting and outdoor activity. It debuts in 2014.

SHOT is still scheduled for Jan. 14-17, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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