Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who has kept the state’s firearms and ammo industry a state priority, made a splash in Las Vegas in January with her alligator boots.
That’s the recollection of Mark Oliva, managing director of public affairs at NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association.
Sanders went onstage at NSSF’s annual SHOT Show wearing boots made from the skin of a gator “she had harvested herself on a hunting trip,” Oliva said. “She made quite an impression on the crowd.”
In all, 2,600 companies displayed products and services in booths covering more than 821,000 SF at the January show. It attracted attendees from 117 countries and all 50 states.
Alexa Henning, who is departing as the governor’s press secretary this month, said: “The Governor has prioritized welcoming businesses to the state that invest and create jobs,” pointing to Sig Sauer’s recent $150 million investment to create almost 700 new positions in Jacksonville.
Though Sanders bagged hers in Louisiana, alligators are also legal prey in Arkansas. According to the state Game & Fish Commission, hunters can get permits for hunts on public land from June 15 to June 30 each year. Hunters with access to private land in Arkansas’ alligator zones “can hunt through a quota-based system similar to the structure of the bear and elk hunts,” AGFC’s website says.
Sanders and First Gentleman Brian Sanders regularly take the whole family duck hunting, and she is certainly no stranger to guns. “Amazing morning duck hunting,” the governor posted in one Facebook post, posing with a shotgun, Brian and a Labrador. “Best morning date there is!”
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