UPDATE AND STATEMENT ON PICS CLOSURE:
Firearms Industry Files Lawsuit and Blasts PA Governor

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association of the firearms industry -- blasted Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell earlier this morning following word that the shutdown of the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS), to which firearms retailers and purchasers were given only three weeks notice, would move forward. The PICS shutdown is set to occur on Sept. 2 through Sept. 6 and continues to be a lightning-rod issue as no transfers of firearms will be allowed and the outage coincides with the opening of the dove and Canada geese hunting seasons -- a peak sales time for firearms dealers.

Further fanning the flames of discontent, Gov. Rendell disregarded his own ad-hoc committee -- created to evaluate and recommend a more appropriate timetable for updating the database -- by rejecting the recommendation of Col. Jeffrey Miller of the Pennsylvania State Police, who offered three alternative times for the PICS update.

"This committee was a farce, nothing but a PR gimmick to deflect from the Rendell administration's total disregard for small mom-n-pop businesses and the second-amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "The mismanagement by the Rendell administration regarding the PICS updating is underscored by the fact that the state police have been working on this update since 2001 and are only now going through with it, on three weeks notice, and at the beginning of the crucial sales season."

The Pennsylvania Association of Firearms Retailers and the National Association of Firearms Retailers (NAFR), a division of NSSF, announced today they will be filing a lawsuit against the Rendell administration to stop the PICS outage. The case is set to be heard Friday, Aug. 31 in Harrisburg.

"While no one opposes upgrades and improvements to the state police criminal records databases, such updates must be made at reasonable times when it will be less disruptive to the many small businesses that rely on firearms sales," said Keane. "The start of hunting season is not an appropriate time to shut down PICS. Any necessary updates should be made at the start of January."

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Formed in 1961, the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) is the trade association for the firearms and recreational shooting sports industry. NSSF's mission is to provide trusted leadership in addressing industry challenges and delivering programs and services to meet the identified needs of its members by measurably advancing participation in and understanding of hunting and the shooting sports.

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