It’s hard to believe the New Year is now entering its third month, but it’s true! 
One telltale sign is the number of outdoor industry trade shows that are taking place, starting in January with the NSSF’s SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show in Las Vegas. After combing the hundreds of thousands of exhibit hall space, grabbing glimpses of thousands of new guns and gear, we narrowed down a few of our favorites, including a New for 2023 roundup of .380 subcompact pistols that ladies will love, as well as some of the hottest CCW packs, purses and bags.
Exhibitors and show attendees had barely unpacked their bags when it was time to head to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for the return in full force of the NRA Great America Outdoor Show (GAOS). More than 200,000 attended the 10-day event, and you can catch some of the highlights here.
We were just winding down from SHOT and GAOS when no sooner did another industry giant—Safari Club International (SCI)—open its doors in Music City, USA for its annual convention. NRA’s own Karen Mehall, Communications Director for NRA’s Hunter’s Leadership Forum, was on the ground in Nashville and filed this report about all the goings on, which had a particular emphasis on women this year, celebrating a theme of “Women Go Hunting.”
One of the anticipated events at the SCI Show is awarding a deserving woman the annual Diana Award, sponsored by the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum. The award honors the women of SCI who excel in international big-game hunting, demonstrate exemplary ethics afield and work to advance wildlife conservation and education. This year’s winner is Veronica Kosich, and you can read about her extraordinary accomplishments here.
But we’ve saved the best and most important event for last. NRA’s 152nd Annual Meetings & Exhibits will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 14-17. While the entire weekend is packed with an array of celebrations of our American freedoms—most importantly our firearms freedom—one of the highlights of the weekend is the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum Luncheon & Auction. In addition to being in attendance to listen to some of the most dynamic speakers you’ll hear all weekend, you’ll get a chance to bid on hundreds of guns, gear, outfitted hunts and other unique experiences. This event sells out fast, so don’t wait: Get your tickets today.
In other content, NRA Women continued its “Dilemma” series, offering solutions to some of the most common occurrences among gun owners and hunters. For example, “How Do I Carry in a Dress?” and how to address “When You Have to Use a Public Restroom” while carrying concealed are answered. And hunters can learn what options they have when an injured (but still legal) buck walks past their stand while they await a trophy.
And finally, your NRA has been extremely active on the legislative front in 2023, with a challenge to the Illinois gun ban; a challenge to the ATF Brace Rule; witnessing the West Virginia governor signing the NRA-backed Campus Self-Defense Act; and backing the introduction of Constitutional Carry in Florida.
Stay tuned throughout 2023 for more on all of these topics!
