Guns with sound suppressors are displayed in the Sig Sauer booth during the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, at Sands Expo.
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | 2 a.m.
With more than 16,000 exhibitors showing off hundreds of thousands of products at this week’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, the annual convention welcomed its largest and most distinctive inventory in its 38-year history.
Held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, the show featured products ranging from $17 to $12,000. Here are some of the more interesting, inspiring and downright curious products on the floor:
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LethalLace concealed carry holster by Mike and Tessa Renaud
Designed with firearm-toting women in mind, the LethalLace helps users carry their firearm discreetly, hidden underneath their clothing. The product, which sells for $55, can be wrapped just about anywhere around the body, said owner and designer Tessa Renaud, and fits a waist size of up to 43 inches.
“I just got frustrated trying all of the different holsters, and I wanted one that worked for me,” said Renaud, a nurse from Geismar, La. “I created it out of a need, but I also wanted something feminine and pretty.”
The product features a pocket to hold the weapon, 11 feet of elastic neoprene material and a metal clip, because her medical scrubs didn’t have a belt or drawstring support from which to hang a holster.
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All-terrain chair by Action Manufacturing
With a frame resembling a battle tank and remote-controlled continuous track wheels, the all-terrain chair gives disabled users the chance to steer themselves through the wilderness, farm fields and even snow.
One of fewer than 1,000 all-terrain chairs that exist nationwide was displayed Tuesday by nonprofit military outreach group Freedom Hunters, which uses the $12,000 product to take wounded veterans on hunting trips.
“It really makes a strong impact on the people who come with us,” said Megan Putze, a wounded veteran who served in Afghanistan. “We try to use it at least a few times a month.”
Freedom Hunters is hoping to purchase “at least one or two more” chairs in the near future, said regional director Bud DePlatchett.
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Bullet HP and firearm phone mount by Convergent Hunting Solutions
A Bluetooth connection makes the Bullet HP speaker and phone mount combination a reality for shooters looking to make their hunting experience a little bit easier.
With a range of 200 feet, the connection allows for a variety of animal calling signals from the Convergent smartphone app to the Bullet HP speaker at the touch of a button. The two products debuted at this week’s show and sell for a combined price of about $310.
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Grenade-shaped ketchup and mustard canisters
David Nathan, an exhibitor for CampCo, said inspiration for the new product came from a recent company trip to China.
“We were inspired by home-related products that were just fun,” Nathan said. “We wanted more catchy, gift-type items.”
For $17, buyers at select hunting and novelty stores across the country can make the special canisters their own. That is, if they’re not among the people Nathan said might be offended by the items.
“I think 50 percent of the country would find it funny or cute, and the other 50 percent would be offended,” Nathan said. “We’re trying to find the first 50 percent.”
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CPX 1 and CPX 2 by SCCY
With 18 different colored grips ranging from pink to turquoise and even bright orange as options, these $320 handguns allow owners to have a “personal touch” on their weapon, said Sccy Industries representative Jimmy Taylor, of Acworth, Ga.
“Some people want to look fashionable with their firearms,” Taylor said. “It’s just something different.”
The flashy firearms didn’t go without notice Tuesday on the showroom floor. Dorothy Gjorven, a prospective customer from Williston, N.D., said colors help gun owners show off their personalities.
“Some colors are all right,” she said. “But I think pink and purple are hard because people don’t always take you seriously.”
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Wasp Weapon by Prometheus Systems
Dubbed as the “less lethal option” to a gunshot, the Wasp attaches to the end of a 9mm handgun, absorbs a fired bullet, and flies at a lower velocity toward the intended target.
A 70mm, 6.5-ounce piece of urethane foam with an aluminum core, the Wasp is designed primarily for gun owners at home to fend off intruders.
“Most people, no matter how tough they are, don’t want to take another person’s life,” said Bill Rayner, a Tallahassee, Fla., resident who spent three years designing and producing the Wasp. “You want a big impact zone, so no bones are broken and no spleens are ruptured.”
After the first shot, the Wasp is gone, leaving users with the option to fire a second, potentially fatal shot.
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Bullet-proof baseball hat by Bullet Safe
Designed for security guards and law enforcement, the bullet-proof baseball hat was made to add protection where it’s perhaps most needed, said BulletSafe CEO Tom Nardone, of Troy, Mich.
An alternative to a hard helmet, the baseball hat was designed to fit easier and more comfortably, Nardone said.
“It’s safer and more discreet, too” Nardone said.
At $129, the baseball hat reduces the impact of a gunshot wound to the same force as being hit in the head by consecutive hockey slapshots, Nardone said.
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