“Devastating stopping power,” the company’s ads promise, “without the lethal consequences.”īyrna’s founder and chief executive Bryan Ganz circled like an attentive host, his leather jacket and boots marking a contrast with the crowd, who were attired mostly in camouflage and fleece. Users can also opt for ammo loaded with tear gas or oleoresin capsicum, an extract of hot peppers, which can induce nausea, difficulty breathing, and a terrible burning in the throat, lungs, and eyes. Lighter than traditional ammunition and moving at lower speeds, these projectiles produce an excruciating impact but do not have the kinetic energy to penetrate skin. 68-caliber plastic spheres, which are propelled by compressed gas rather than exploding gunpowder. The devices borrow the form of traditional firearms but instead of metal bullets they launch. One of a handful of companies at the event that sells “less lethal” weapons, Byrna was showcasing what seemed like a paradox: a gun built to deter and disorient, but not to kill. The atmosphere is typically festive, but this year the gun industry had even more cause to celebrate: Americans have purchased more than 67 million guns since 2020, the most rapid citizen armament ever recorded.Īt the shooting lane of Byrna Technologies, Inc., there was no sound of gunfire. To kick off the event, many attendees drive out into the desert for “range day,” where they test-fire the latest merchandise into the rocky red hillside. It was the opening of Shot Show 2023, the biggest firearm trade show in the world, which each January draws tens of thousands of manufacturers, dealers, and hobbyists to Las Vegas. The sky looked ominous, but the thousands of gun enthusiasts bustled about with the enterprise of ants at a picnic. The crackle of handgun fire sounded like static from a dead channel and beneath it rumbled the heavy concussion of rifles as people picked off targets up to a half mile away.
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