May 4, 2009

Vol. 10 No. 18

Conservation Efforts Benefit from
31 Percent Jump in Excise Taxes

SALES REMAIN STRONG FOR MANUFACTURERS . . . Firearm and ammunition manufacturers paid more than $98 million in excise taxes in the fourth quarter of 2008, up 31.2 percent over the same period in 2007, according to figures released earlier today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, $27.6 million was collected for pistols and revolvers, $35 million for long guns and $35.5 million for ammunition. Compared to the same period in 2007, collections were up 70.1 percent for handguns, 11.4 percent for long guns and 31.1 percent for ammunition. Excise tax collections are a key economic indicator for the industry. The taxes are calculated as a percentage of wholesale receipts, paid quarterly by firearm and ammunition manufacturers, and earmarked for state wildlife conservation and habitat restoration programs. A total of $345.2 million was collected in excise taxes in 2008, up 13.9 percent from the $303.2 million collected the previous year. These statistics are based solely on U.S. civilian sales and do not include sales to military, police, etc.View Full Chart for 2007-08

Inside the Industry

• VIDEO INTERVIEWS ILLUSTRATE FIRST SHOTS SUCCESSES . . . A couple in their 70s get reintroduced to shooting after a 50-year hiatus. A pistol shooter expands her horizons by learning rifle and shotgun. In a series of videos produced by FMG Publications, interviews spotlight some of the people NSSF's First Shots program has helped introduce -- and reintroduce -- to the shooting sports. Watch the videos online at ShootingIndustry.com and on First Shots' Facebook page.

• RUGER SALES SURGE IN FIRST QUARTER . . . Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE:RGR) reported that firearms sales were up 55.5 percent in the first quarter to $62.2 million, compared to $40 million in the same period last year. "The level of demand for our products during the first quarter of 2009 has been unusually high, with more than 500,000 units ordered," said Ruger CEO Michael Fifer. First-quarter earnings rose to 30 cents per share, up from 7 cents per share in the first quarter of 2008.

• STRONG DEMAND DRIVES WINCHESTER AMMO SALES . . . Olin Corp. (NYSE:OLN) reported that sales in its Winchester division were $132.9 million in the first quarter, up 20 percent from $110.8 million in the same period a year ago. "Winchester achieved the highest level of quarterly earnings in its history, reflecting the continuation of the stronger than normal demand that began in the fourth quarter of 2008," said Joseph D. Rupp, Olin chairman, president and CEO.

• CABELA'S SALES JUMP IN FIRST QUARTER . . . Outdoor retailer Cabela's Inc. (NYSE:CAB) reported an 8.2 percent increase in first-quarter same-store sales -- or sales at stores open for at least one year. "For the quarter, we realized very strong performance in our hunting equipment category, which is being led by strength in firearms and ammunition," Cabela's President and CEO Tommy Millner said during the company's earnings call. "We believe this is a sustainable trend that we expect to continue into the second half of 2009."

• DETROIT, MILWAUKEE POLICE CONVERT TO SMITH & WESSON M&Ps . . . Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:SWHC) announced that both the Milwaukee Police Department and Detroit Police Department will equip their forces with Smith & Wesson Military & Police (M&P) Series pistols.

• IHEA BENEFIT SHOOT CANCELLED . . . The International Hunter Education Association Foundation announced that its Annual Benefit Shoot has been cancelled. The event had been scheduled for May 30-31, immediately prior to NSSF's Shooting Sports Summit in Florida.

Politics & Government

• ATF REFORM BILL INTRODUCED . . . Legislation, "The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009" (S. 941), strikes a fair balance between providing ATF with additional regulatory options to encourage even greater compliance short of revocation while at the same time affording licensees more rights and due process in the regulatory scheme. The bi-partisan bill was introduced by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). It would allow ATF new powers to issue fines and suspend licenses of Federal Firearms Licensees (as opposed to current regulations which only allow for license revocation). The legislation would also allow ATF to distinguish between violations and "benign/administrative" violations and create an appeal process whereby FFLs would have cases heard before a neutral administrative law judge, rather than an ATF official. NSSF is supportive of this bill as it will help protect the rights of FFLs while giving ATF more flexibility in how they exercise their regulatory authority to encourage enhanced compliance.

• NSSF TAKES ON ANTI-GUN GROUP . . . NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane participated in an NPR interview opposite Josh Horowitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, earlier this morning. Following Horowitz's description of Americans who exercise their Second Amendment rights as "insurgents" who participate in a process that "erodes core democratic values," Keane challenged the gun control advocate. "To assert that the action of exercising a constitutional right is somehow 'anti-democratic' and reserved for 'insurgents' is offensive and historically ignorant," responded Keane. "This is just one more example of how far removed the gun-control movement is from mainstream America."

• PUBLIC TAKES CONSERVATIVE TURN ON GUN CONTROL . . . According to a survey from the Pew Research Center released late last week, public attitudes on gun control have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year. For the first time in a Pew Research survey, nearly as many people believe it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns (45 percent) than to control gun ownership (49 percent). As recently as a year ago, 58 percent said it was more important to control gun ownership while 37 percent said it was more important to protect the right to own guns.

• NATIONAL PARK SERVICE BAN ON TRADITIONAL AMMUNITION . . . A coalition of parks, wildlife and wilderness groups, led by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), have urged Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to back a proposed ban on traditional ammunition (and lead fishing tackle) in national parks by 2010. NSSF has been at the forefront in the fight to keep traditional ammunition legal throughout the United States, including national parks. NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane attended a meeting last month at the U.S. Department of Interior, where he discussed the recently released CDC study results showing no human health risk to those who consume game harvested with traditional ammunition. He also pointed out to lawmakers and regulators that there is no evidence that the use of permitted traditional ammunition impacts species populations. NSSF will continue to educate lawmakers, regulators and media on the merits of traditional ammunition -- while correcting the misinformation being pushed by anti-hunting and other politically motivated groups about the ammunition.

Hunting & Shooting

• NEW TIMES AND NEW SEASON FOR STEP OUTSIDE . . . The sixth season of "Step Outside" is underway on Outdoor Channel, where viewers can see newcomers to hunting and shooting take their first steps into the woods with friends and family. This week, outdoor mentors and youngsters with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Pass It On program in Kansas hunt on Ted Turner's Z-Bar ranch. Tune in to watch Sundays at 5 p.m. or Thursdays at 2:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Learn more about the hunts planned for this season at OutdoorChannel.com.

• UPDATE ON RUSH AND HSUS . . . Working with sportsmen's groups from around the country, NSSF is part of a cooperative effort to educate conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh on the true anti-hunting nature of the Humane Society of the United States. On Friday, at the behest of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, hunters from around the country were urged to call Rush's program and discuss with Rush the facts about HSUS.

• NORTH DAKOTA MEASURES AIM TO GET YOUNG PEOPLE TO HUNT . . . A bill that will expand youth hunting opportunities and that creates an apprentice hunter license has been overwhelmingly passed by North Dakota legislators and has been sent to the governor’s office for his expected signature. The bill incorporates recommendations of a recruitment and retention study. One aspect of the bill allows prospective hunters at least 16 years of age to take the hunter education course online. It also allows 12- and 13-year-olds -- current law makes 14 the minimum age -- to hunt antlerless whitetail deer during the state's youth hunting season, if they are accompanied by an adult hunter who does not carry a gun. A newly created apprentice license would allow aspiring sportsmen who were born in or later than 1962 and are at least 16 to hunt small game and deer one time without taking a hunter education course. Read more about the new bill in coverage by the Associated Press.

• AGRICULTURE SECRETARY ADDRESSES CONSERVATION GOALS . . . Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack shared his insights regarding how hunters and anglers can work with the new administration to assure the future of these outdoor traditions when he met with the board of directors of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. In the meeting called to address the status and future of conservation and agriculture policy as they affect fish and wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing, Sec. Vilsack emphasized the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commitment to protecting the nation’s natural resources.

• JUNIOR DUCK STAMP WINNER . . . A single wood duck painted by 16-year-old Lily Spang of Toledo, Ohio, was chosen by a panel of judges as the design to appear on the 2009-2010 Federal Junior Duck Stamp. The acrylic entry, which previously won the Ohio State Junior Duck Stamp Contest, was judged the winner among entries from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The 2009-2010 Federal Junior Duck Stamp, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sells for $5 to stamp collectors, conservationists and the general public, will be released on June 26. Spang will receive a $5,000 award and a trip to Washington, D.C., to be present at the first day of sale. Proceeds from sales are used to support environmental education efforts and awards for contest winners.

• GOLD FOR HADDEN, BRONZE FOR HEIDEN IN TRAP AT CAIRO WORLD CUP . . . Ryan Hadden of Pendleton, Ore., captured his first ISSF World Cup medal when he struck gold in Men's Trap at the Shotgun World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. Seventeen-year-old Rachel Heiden, in her first-ever World Cup appearance, won the bronze in Women's Trap. NSSF proudly notes that the Clinton, Mich., resident is an alumna of both the Scholastic Clay Target Program and the Junior Olympic Development Camp. Read more about their accomplishments on the World Cup stage.

Jobs

• INDUSTRY CAREER CONNECTION . . . Visit www.nssf.org/jobs for current employment opportunities in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. Employers: Log in to post a job opening.

NSSF's Mission "To promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports." Click here to visit the NSSF Web site and see how we accomplish this mission.

COPYRIGHT © 2009 by National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted for broadcast, publication, retransmission to e-mail lists, Web sites or any other copying or storage, in any medium, online or not, if 1) the text is forwarded in its entirety, including this paragraph, and 2) no fee is charged. "Bullet Points®," "National Shooting Sports Foundation®," "NSSF®," and all other trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos and images of the National Shooting Sports Foundation appearing in this publication are the sole property of the Foundation and may not be used without the Foundation's prior express written permission. All other trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos and images appearing in this publication are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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