
Over 64,000 gun fans have descended on Las Vegas for the first major gun show of 2016 - and a triple barrel shotgun is among the new weapons on display at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show.

Called the Triple Crown, its maker Chiappa launched new models at the show.

At first glance, it looks just like a normal shotgun - but actually has a third barrel above the traditional two.

Scroll down for video

Called the Triple Crown, Chiappa says the rifle is perfect for both hunter as as a weapon for self defence.

The firing sequence of the barrel is right, left top, although on some models of the shotgun this can be changed. It fires standard 20 and 28 gauge cartridges.

The shotgun was first revealed in 2013, but this year the firm behind it has two new versions, a 20 and 28 gauge.

Both the new gauges have a 26-inch barrel and the overall length of the shotgun is 43 inches.

The new shotguns will retail for approximately $2,039 – $2,079, according to Fox News.

A single trigger fires all three barrels in succession in a right-left-top barrel sequence that is reset to start with the right barrel each time the action is opened.

The line includes the Triple Threat, designed for home defense, and a sporting version called the Triple Crown.

At the show Colt also introduced a new AR called the Expanse M4, dubbed a 'starter assault rifle'

The Expanse M4 weighs 6.44 pounds, and is finished in black matte.

About 62,000 credentialed attendees walked miles of aisles on the showroom floor in Las Vegas, ogling and handling chrome six-shooters, knives, body armor and assault-style weapons.

The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show isn't a sales event. No one can buy guns or gear on the spot.

Show-goer Rhiannon Owen, co-owner with her husband of a San Antonio, Texas, body armor company, said people have a right to protect themselves. 'And because of the political climate in our country, more people are becoming involved,' she said.

Owen sells a $300 kit to protect a person from anything up to a .308-caliber bullet.

It can be carried in a gym bag or kept next to a bed to don quickly if the owner is threatened by someone with a gun.

Schoolteachers could be equipped with ballistic blankets and custom locks for classroom door hinges to protect children, she said.

Gun production and sales have doubled since 2009 when Obama took office, said Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and attorney for the show host, the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Sales spike after every headline-grabbing mass shooting like the recent ones in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

Almost one in three Americans is a gun owner, Keane said.

This woman concentrates on the Glock handgun peering through a hologram sight at the rear of the semi-automatic weapon

Handguns are on display at the Smith & Wesson booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

He tallied about 350 million guns in circulation.

'The face of the consumer is more diverse — women, minorities, younger and urban,' Keane said.

Sales surge 'when you have an event that causes people to talk about the issue and causes people to be concerned about their safety.'

'Guns will clearly be one of the big issues this November,' he said, referring to the presidential and congressional elections.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch went before Congress on Wednesday to defend executive actions issued Jan. 4 by Obama to require nearly anyone selling guns online or at gun shows to get federal dealers' licenses and perform background checks.

Republican presidential candidates and conservative lawmakers have condemned the president's move as an overreach of executive power and an infringement of constitutional rights to gun ownership.

Silencers are on display at the Sig Sauer booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show.

Gun-control advocate Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, derided the idea of making schools 'more like armories than places of education ... where our only solutions are to deal with active shooters.'

'There is so much more we can do to keep guns out of the hands of those intent on doing harm in the first place,' Gross said by email.

He cited the nearly 34,000 gun deaths tallied nationwide in 2010 by the federal Centers for Disease Control, as well as a separate 2014 report from the nonprofit Violence Policy Center advocacy group that more people die from guns than from vehicle crashes in 21 states and the District of Columbia.

The Brady Campaign wants background checks expanded to all gun sales, including at gun shows and online.

Owen said she'd be willing to perform background checks on buyers of ballistic gear, particularly if the National Instant Criminal Background Check System was more complete and able to provide faster responses for applicants.

David Monteiro looks at a gun at the Barrett booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show

Nolan Hammer looks at a gun at the Heckler & Koch booth.

Waldron predicted the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will have trouble processing a wave of new fingerprint cards, photos, and background checks.

Keane said the shooting sports foundation hosts a campaign called FixNICS.org to encourage states to report to the FBI's NICS database all mental health and criminal records of anyone prohibited from owning a firearm under current law.

On the trade show floor, more than 30 ATF agents fielded questions at an information booth about whether Obama's actions mean that casual gun owners will need to get federal firearm sales licenses.

'We're listening to what people are telling us,' ATF spokesman Corey Ray said. 'Someone has a collection at home and wants to sell the guns. They wonder if they need a firearms license.'

They don't, Ray said. 'Not if they aren't engaged in the business and aren't making a living doing it,' he said.

Matt Couch looks at a rife at the Barrett booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

John Correia peers through the sight of a .50 caliber M2 machine gun, just what the average American needs to go hunting

According to a survey conducted by the NSSF, a growing number of women are buying firearms describing them as the 'fastest growing segment' in shooting sports.

More than half of women who responded to the survey claimed they will buy at least one gun over the next twelve months.

According to Sanetti: 'In the past decade, the number of women owning firearms and participating in target shooting and hunting has soared. This study helps us understand why women are choosing to purchase firearms and accessories and what shooting activities appeal to them most.'

The research polled women aged between 18 to 65 who owned at least one firearm.

One third of them had bought their first weapon within the past three years.

Glen Kukula handles a Patrol SIG716 rifle at the National Shooting Sports Foundation's Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade show

Robert Zatorski struggles with the M2 .50 caliber machine gun which was a popular exhibit, but not the most practical personal weapon

Jen O'Hara, pictured, also decided to try out a Ruger as the NSSF claimed 54 per cent of women polled plan on buying a gun this year

The gun control issue has become increasingly prominent during the current presidential election campaign.

Republican and Democrat contenders have clashed with their rivals over the issue.

Republican Ted Cruz is set to spend $700,000 on a pro-gun advert during NFL conference championship games.

The ad will feature Cruz sitting beside Phil Robertston of TV's Duck Dynasty shooting a borrowed shotgun.

In his three years in the U.S. Senate, Cruz's voting record has earned an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association.

He is fiercely critical of President Barack Obama's efforts to tighten background checks for gun purchases is a staple of Cruz stump speeches: The candidate quipped that back in Texas the term 'gun control' means that you 'hit what you're aiming at'.

Democrat rivals Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashed on the issue during a debate in Charleston, South Carolina.

Clinton claimed Sanders had voted repeatedly in favour of the National Rifle Association.

Patrick Ezell, pictured, seems to be enjoying the feel of this Bushmaster BA-50 bolt action rifle with its special 30-inch barrel

Perfect for any handbag, this S&W500 Magnum features a 10.5 inch barrel and is reputed to be the most powerful revolver in the world

Billy Harris, pictured, points this .308 caliber Remington rifle with suppressor across the Sands Expo and Convention Center