GOALS 2025 Recap — A Growing Second Amendment Gathering in Knoxville

The Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit (GOALS) wrapped up its second year this weekend in Knoxville, TN, bringing together passionate gun owners, advocates, and industry professionals for networking, training, and 2A fellowship. Hosted by Gun Owners of America, the event featured an exhibit hall, seminars, and notable speakers—all aimed at strengthening the fight for our rights.

A line on the first day of attendees waiting to enter the event.

Small But Purposeful

GOALS is still finding its footing. The show isn’t on the scale of major firearms industry events, and its location in Knoxville—a smaller metro compared to competing shows—likely contributes to the modest turnout. Last year, our company hosted a few booths on the show floor; this year, we chose to attend strictly as media, focusing on networking and supporting the event in a different way.

While the attendance and overall footprint may be smaller, GOA has managed to bring in quality presenters and fill the schedule with worthwhile seminars and panels. It’s clear they want to make this event more than just a place to see products—it’s also a place to sharpen advocacy skills and hear directly from people in the fight.

Suggestions for Growth

• Move to a larger metro area to expand attendance and exhibitor interest.
• Promote more aggressively to reach a broader regional audience.
• Eliminate the Friday “Media” day. While exclusive access is convenient for media, it doesn’t appear to add enough value for exhibitors to justify the extra day of lodging, meals, and time away from the office. After attending both years, I found it an unnecessary burden on vendors and was surprised to see it return this year.

Companies & Products That Stood Out

Even in a smaller show, there were plenty of worthwhile connections and discoveries:

• Gideon Optics – Continues to impress with a wide range of uniquely designed pistol optics. The more I learn about them, the more I keep an eye on what they’re doing.
• 51Fifty – Perhaps one of the highest-quality carbine rifle manufacturers I’ve encountered. They produce every element of the rifle in-house, unlike most AR-15 brands that simply assemble sourced parts.
• Drill Index – A new-to-me company selling a deck of cards featuring popular shooting drills. A simple, valuable training tool for anyone looking to add variety to range sessions.
• DefGrip – A grip wrap material that dramatically improves texture and moisture absorption. Their water-absorption demo was convincing enough to make me take a very close look.
• Definition Knives – A knife company I hadn’t previously been aware of, but one that impressed me with its designs and build quality.
• Suppressors Everywhere – A noticeable trend this year was the larger number of suppressor manufacturers on the floor—likely tied to the widely anticipated, upcoming changes to the NFA in the new year.

Shows like this also have the benefit of drawing out local Tennessee companies that we otherwise tend not to see at larger national industry events.

I didn't take very many pictures but this pup caught my eye at the SOWW booth. A non-profit that supports veterans.

Who Was There — And Who Wasn’t

Most major manufacturers didn't made the trip, but several of the bigger names were on-site, including:

• Glock
• KelTec
• Taurus
• Henry Repeating Arms
• Shadow Systems
• Holosun

A notable absence was Smith & Wesson, whose headquarters are less than an hour away.

A special shout-out goes to our friends at CCW Safe, who had a great booth presence and participated actively in the seminars and presentations. Learn more about CCW Safe here.

Final Thoughts

Even in its early stages, GOALS offers something worth supporting—especially for those of us who want to see more pro-gun events in the Southeast. It’s a rare opportunity to connect directly with GOA leadership, learn from experienced speakers, and build relationships with industry professionals. If GOA can grow the show without losing its grassroots feel, GOALS could develop into a powerful annual rallying point for our movement.