April 5, 2010

Vol. 11 No. 14

This Week:

Industry News

Legal & Legislative

SHOT Show

NSSF Members

Key Findings from NSSF/Harris Poll

TARGET SHOOTING, HOME DEFENSE TOP-RANKED . . . A new National Shooting Sports Foundation poll conducted by Harris Interactive found that more Americans are target shooting now than six months ago, and that "home and personal defense" were the main reasons Americans recently purchased firearms. The poll also showed that 43 percent of respondents, which equates to nearly 98 million people, expressed some level of interest in participating in the shooting sports or hunting. The online survey was conducted March 16-18 by Harris Interactive, which performs periodic surveys for NSSF on shooting and hunting participation. The questions were asked of general population adults 18 and over. View key findings from the NSSF/Harris poll.

Industry News

  • MARCH BACKGROUND CHECKS ON FIREARM SALES . . . Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,300,100 checks in March 2010, ranking the month the second highest March (fifth highest month overall) for most NICS checks. This figure, while being a 3.3 percent decrease from the 1,345,096 checks conducted in March 2009 -- the early stage of an ongoing surge in firearms and ammunition sales -- is an increase of 24.9 percent over checks in March 2008. The total number of background checks reported since the beginning of NICS is 113,680,372.

  • XS SIGHT SYSTEMS NEWEST FIRST SHOTS SPONSOR . . . When new shooters step up to the firing line in NSSF's First Shots® program, they'll be able to quickly acquire an accurate sight picture thanks to the program's newest sponsor, XS Sight Systems, which has pledged its support for First Shots through 2010. "XS Sights is proud to be affiliated with the First Shots program," said Dave Biggers, vice president, sales and marketing. "I don't think anyone in our industry would disagree that bringing new shooters into our fold is our best bet to continue our traditions of hunting, target and recreational shooting." Read the NSSF news release.

  • FREEDOM GROUP TO RELOCATE MARLIN FIREARMS PRODUCTION . . . As was reported in last week's Bullet Points, the Freedom Group is planning to close its Marlin Firearms facility in North Haven, Conn. In a press release last week, the Freedom Group said it is evaluating several relocation options and will announce the future production site of Marlin firearms when a final decision is made. "As competition in today's global marketplace remains intense, consolidation of our manufacturing processes and operating systems allow us to provide Marlin customers with the highest quality products at competitive prices," said Ted Torbeck, Freedom Group CEO. "We are committed to the Marlin brand, its core product offerings and bringing innovative new Marlin firearms to our customers."

  • IN WAKE OF MARLIN ANNOUNCEMENT, NSSF CALLS FOR SUPPORT FAET BILL . . . Following last week' announcement that the Marlin Firearms factory will be leaving Connecticut and taking with it hundreds of jobs, NSSF issued a press release renewing earlier calls for Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) to co-sponsor bi-partisan legislation (S. 632) that would rectify a longstanding inequity in the collection of the firearms and ammunition excise tax (FAET). The legislation would simply change the payment schedule from bi-weekly to quarterly, which is more business friendly. "Connecticut is the birthplace of America's firearms industry and as such it is troubling that our senators continue to sit idly by while major employers in the state like Remington, Winchester and now Marlin leave, taking with them hundreds of well-paying jobs that Connecticut workers relied upon to support their families and pay taxes," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "With the closing of Marlin Firearms, now would be a good time for both Connecticut senators to champion S. 632, bi-partisan, pro-growth and commonsense legislation."

  • MODERN SPORTING RIFLES AT THE SHOT SHOW . . . The Law Enforcement segment of the SHOT Show has steadily grown, but that is certainly not the only place on the show floor where modern sporting rifles are on display. Read the NSSF-written article in the second edition of "AR Guns & Hunting" that gives an indication of MSRs' prominence at the 2010 SHOT Show, as well as the following article that indicates how SHOT Show revenue benefits the hunting and shooting sports.

  • DON'T LIE CAMPAIGN TO LAUNCH IN EL PASO AND LAS CRUCES . . . As gun control proponents around the country continue to exploit Mexican drug cartel-related violence to advance their policy agenda in Congress, NSSF is continuing to cooperate with law enforcement by launching a multi city expansion of the "Don't Lie for the Other Guy" anti-straw purchasing campaign. This Wednesday Don't Lie will launch in El Paso (Texas) and Las Cruces (New Mexico). "Despite the fact that the vast majority of the firepower used by the cartels does NOT come from the United States, we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2009 alone to bring the message of Don't Lie to cities throughout the Southwest," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "We look forward to continuing this effort in El Paso and Las Cruces." Learn more about Don't Lie for the Other Guy, how to obtain a free retailer tool kit and view and download the public service announcement at www.dontlie.org. Read the latest post from Keane Insights addressing the false claim that American firearms are responsible for cartel-related violence at www.keaneinsights.com.

  • NSSF RESEARCH DEPT. RECOMMENDED READING . . . The Future of Hunting and The Shooting Sports is a 261-page, research-based book that condenses the findings of one of the largest, most comprehensive studies ever conducted on factors related to hunting and shooting participation, motivations of hunters and shooters and satisfaction with recruitment and retention programs. NSSF members can order this book at a special price of $20, with free shipping. NSSF members interested in a bulk order of 25 or more will see a further reduced price of $15 per copy. Free PDF download also available. Contact Dianne Vrablic, NSSF research coordinator, with any order questions. Non-member price is $225 per copy. To become an NSSF member, contact Bettyjane Swann, director of member services, at (203) 426-1320.

Legal & Legislative

  • NSSF CONGRESSIONAL FLY-IN REGISTRATION DEADLINE NEARS . . . The 3rd Annual NSSF Congressional Fly-In is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28, to Friday, April 30. Participation in the Fly-In is an NSSF voting member, and manufacturer and distributor supporting member, benefit. The deadline to take advantage of the Fly-In's hotel room block is Thursday, April 8, so please register as soon as possible. All Voting Members are strongly encouraged to attend this key government relations effort to help advance our industry's federal legislative priorities. For information, contact Marje Swarts at mswarts@nssf.org. Register for the Fly-In.

  • U.N. FILES FIREARMS TRACE REQUEST . . . NSSF has learned that the United Nations has filed its first firearms trace request. The move by the United Nations, which has long advocated for civilian disarmament, has raised concerns from NSSF. "Firearms trace data is a law enforcement tool to help aid in specific criminal investigations," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "Our concerns with this trace request stem from U.N. efforts to impose arms trade control treaties that would lead to a ban on the civilian possession and ownership of firearms, possibly even in the United States despite Second Amendment protections and the recent Supreme Court decision (Heller v. District of Columbia) reaffirming that Americans have an individual right to keep and bear arms." Full Story

  • KEANE INSIGHTS: GPS IN FIREARMS A MOVE IN WRONG DIRECTION . . . It's clear that gun-control groups are increasingly turning to "science" as a means to control the right to keep and bear arms. A recent column in the Cape Cod News pines over the prospect of putting a Lo-Jack-like device in firearms to track the gun's whereabouts (and the law-abiding people who carry them). Read NSSF's Keane Insights Blog for the full story.

  • GUNSITE OWNER, GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE SUPPORTS CONCEALED CARRY WITHOUT A PERMIT . . . A Phoenix NewTimes blog reports that Owen "Buzz" Mills, a candidate in Arizona's race for governor, supports his state becoming the third in the nation to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms without a permit. Mills, identified as a "fiscal and social conservative" in the blog entry, is owner of Gunsite, a 2,000-acre firearms-training facility in Paulden. A bill to authorize the concealed carry without a permit awaited the approval of Gov. Jan Brewer.

News of Note

  • INTRODUCING YOUNGSTERS TO THE SHOOTING SPORTS . . . Warmer weather and more hours of daylight make spring the perfect time to introduce youngsters to the shooting sports. To help get children properly started in these safe, adult-supervised and fun activities, parents have many programs from which to choose. A list is provided in a recent news release sent by NSSF.

  • TRAP SHOOTING TEAM IN EVERY MISSOURI HIGH SCHOOL . . . The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation e-newsletter, "Tracking the Capitols," reports that Missouri HCR 76 is a bill that would encourage every school district in Missouri to promote and include trap shooting as a high school sport. Read the actual legislation.

  • YOUTH WITH A GREAT SHOOTING EYE . . . High school sophomore Sydney Duncan joined the Gaston Young Guns in early 2009 and after a year of competitive skeet shooting has earned "distinguished expert" status in the Winchester/National Rifle Association Markmanship Qualification program. She's the fourth member of the Gaston Young Guns to achieve that level and has her sights set on a North Carolina state title. Read more.

  • OWAA SEARCHES FOR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR . . . The Outdoor Writers Association of America, headquartered in Missoula, Mont., is seeking an executive director to manage and direct the day-to-day affairs of a professional organization of approximately 1,200 outdoor communicators. The opening is the result of the recently announced resignation of Executive Director Kevin Rhoades. Click here for a complete list of responsibilities, a full job description and information about how to apply.

  • KUDOS . . . To Bill Miller, North American Hunting Club executive director, who in his blog helped spread the word about an organization all gun owners should know about--the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities--and the speech given to the organization's members recently by Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Manufacturers' Institute. Bill notes that by being so focused on what's going on here in America, gun owners may forget that threats to firearm ownership worldwide have the potential affect them in the United States. Monitoring those threats are the organizations that make up the WFSA.

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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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