Behind The Scenes at the 2016 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits

This year’s NRAAM featured 500,000 square feet of exhibit hall floor and apparently saw over 80,000 attendees. Dan, Nick, and I took many hundreds of photos while open carrying on the conference floor. Looking through my phone I found some photos that don’t really fit the bill for a new product coverage post, but that would be fun to share regardless. Here’s a small peek into some interesting moments while at the show.

Nick made some great pirate faces while checking out the SIG Optics line. Dan knocked a couple rifles off the wall. I stood up on a folding chair, which promptly unfolded underneath me.

I went unarmed to attend the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum.

Security was extremely tight. The US Secret Service (not pictured above) was out in serious force manning metal detectors, wands, dogs, and other detection tools. Snipers were on roof tops and helicopters were in the air. The officer above was scanning the crowd with a radio-isotope identification device. I submitted to the Secret Service once-over and TTAG was given full press credentials.

Which put me in the press box with Reuters and other, major news outlets sporting serious TV cameras, lights, and on-air personalities providing live jibber-jabber. I elbowed my way in there with a point-and-shoot and cell phone, feeling sufficiently out of my depth.

But your TTAG crew spits a good game and it looks like we’re “one of the boys” now. Well, at least according to the challenge coin I got.

I asked Mark from Precision Firearms to pose with his new Pandora Mod 1 rifle, and he got double photobombed while looking pretty thrilled himself to kickstart a new career as gun bunny. If you’re a TTAG reader, Ms. Sassy Redhead, please address all complaints to Robert.

Or to Nick, who may reply to your text or e-mail directly through his jacket pocket.

We drank our share (yours, too) of bourbon, as one does in Kentucky, and we enjoyed the first batch of TTAG-branded cigars.

Dominican filler, Sumatran wrapper, all tobaccos aged a minimum of five years. Love it.

We enjoyed a dinner at the historic Galt House.

Views were awesome from the 25th floor.

Unfortunately, a fire in the kitchen of the very restaurant we were about to eat at sent everyone evacuating down the staircase.

All 25 floors.

The fire was taken care of, though, and the kitchen was still operational. The restaurant smelled even more of flame grilled steak upon our return, and dinner was excellent.

Goat cheesecake happened.