State Shooting Complex to have presence at SHOT Show

POWELL (WNE) — SHOT Show, the pinnacle of firearms industry tradeshows, takes over Las Vegas every winter. This year, the Wyoming State Shooting Complex will have a big presence at the show.

New CEO Patrick Giles set to go along with a number of joint powers board members to make connections with industry representatives who could facilitate sponsorships and other partnerships to assist with the complex going forward. 

Giles told board members Thursday he’s “been drinking from the firehose” since his first day, and a lot of that work has been preparing materials for the big event. 

“I’ve spent a lot of time putting together materials for sponsors, potential sponsors at SHOT Show,” he said. 

Board member and Cody Firearms Museum Curator Danny Michaels has already planned a number of meetings for Giles with industry leaders, and fellow board member Jason Byers, head of marketing at Gunwerks, will also be making introductions as Giles embarks on work to find sponsorship to help fund the complex. 

Chair Glenn Ross said roughly $70,000 was received before the end of the year and more meetings have been planned with both individuals and businesses to look at raising more funds.  That money is being collected by the new Wyoming State Shooting Complex Foundation set up to handle donations, which are now being accepted. 

But SHOT Show is a way to make a lot of connections fast. According to its official site, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show draws in 50,000 attendees, 2,000 media members and people/businesses from 100 countries. 

This story was published on Jan. 13, 2026.