By all accounts, the National Rifle Association’s inaugural NRA Carry Guard Expo was a huge success. More than 14,000 people attended the personal protection and home defense show held at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee.
According to a press release issued by the NRA, more than a third of the visitors—as many as 6,400—attended one of the many seminars and workshops held over the weekend. Another 200 were on hand for the NRA Concealed Carry Fashion Show on Friday night. That event showcased 50 products from nearly two dozen exhibitors.
By all accounts, the crowds came out in force for this first-year event. “The NRA Carry Guard Expo exceeded even my best expectations,” enthused Marshall Smith, director of Trade Shows and Events for 5.11 Tactical. Nate Beard of N82 Tactical agreed. “We crushed our onsite sales projections due in no small part to the educated and focused consumers the NRA attracted to the show,” he noted.