November 8, 2010

Vol. 11 No. 44

This Week:

Industry News

Legal & Legislative

News of Note

Jobs

USA Today on Young Hunters

FOCUSING ON 'FAMILIES AFIELD' PROGRAM'S SUCCESS . . . Following up on its story "Hunting Remains Bulletproof Industry" in September, USA Today last week focused on the gains being made for youth hunting with "Young Hunters Take to the Wild." The story focuses on states that have made it easier for youth hunters to go afield with a licensed adult mentor in order to give hunting a try before taking the time-consuming hunter education course -- a sort of "try before you buy" concept. Since 2004, this approach has been promoted by the Families Afield program sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and National Wild Turkey Federation, with 30 states having passed legislation to lower or remove age barriers to youth hunting. The goal is to introduce youths to hunting before their interest and time are bound up in video games and other organized sports. The Families Afield initiative is working. Some 418,000 apprentice hunting licenses have been purchased in states with youth-friendly hunting regulations, giving hunting the youthful boost it needs to replenish its ranks. Read the USA Today story.

Industry News

  • OLIN MOVING WINCHSTER CENTERFIRE OPERATIONS TO MISSISSIPPI . . . Olin Corp. has announced that its Winchester Centerfire Operations and approximately 1,000 jobs will be relocated to Oxford, Miss. The company's decision follows two failed ratification votes by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, in which employees twice rejected a union proposal that would have allowed Centerfire Operations to remain in East Alton, Ill. The company informed the unions in August that it was considering relocating operations to Oxford to enhance the competitiveness of its operations. The company engaged in discussions with union leaders over the past two months. Read more on the decision from Olin.

  • ONLINE TRAINING VIDEOS AND WEBINARS FOR RETAILERS . . . NSSF recently launched a webinar series as well as an online video-education series for firearms retailers. For both projects, NSSF enlisted the help of industry marketing specialist Bill Kendy. The most recent webinar, launched today, is "Hold on I'll be Right There -- Low Cost/No Cost Ways to Generate Business: Part 1." All of these resources are available in the retailers section of nssf.org.

  • NASGW NAMES 2010 INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS . . . At its 2010 Annual Meeting and Expo last week, the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers announced this year's NASGW Industry Award recipients. Birchwood Casey was named Accessories Manufacturer of the Year; Hornady Manufacturing Co. was named Ammunition Manufacturer of the Year; and Sturm, Ruger & Co. was named Firearms Manufacturer of the Year. The 2010 Chairman's Award for Industry Leadership was presented to Joseph Chiarello & Co. in recognition of its more than 25 years of outstanding performance in providing insurance and risk management services to the firearms industry.

  • CABELA'S REPORTS RECORD THIRD QUARTER . . . Outdoor retailer Cabela's (NYSE:CAB) reported record third-quarter revenue, operating profit and earnings per share. Third-quarter sales were up 3.9 percent compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales (sales at stores open for at least a year) increased 2.4 percent. "We believe the improvements in our business are sustainable," Cabela's CEO Tommy Millner said. "As a result of the progress we have made on our strategic initiatives and the strength of our business in the third quarter, we expect our full year 2010 earnings to meet or exceed current expectations. Furthermore, we expect earnings for 2011 to grow at a double digit rate."

  • OCTOBER NSSF-ADJUSTED NICS FIGURES . . . The FBI has released its National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figures for October 2010. NSSF-adjusted figures (854,563) show a 1.5 percent increase over October of last year (841,631). The adjusted NICS data were derived by NSSF by subtracting out NICS purpose-code permit checks used by several states such as Kentucky and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide a more accurate picture of current market conditions. Questions concerning NSSF-adjusted NICS data should be directed to NSSF research at 203-426-1320 or research@nssf.org. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions of firearms sales and transfers on new and used handguns and long guns. Click here to find additional information on NICS and to view complete monthly NICS reports. NSSF members may access historical monthly NICS reports in the members' section at www.nssf.org.

  • LIPHAM PROMOTED TO CEO OF BUSHNELL OUTDOOR PRODUCTS . . . Bushnell Outdoor Products, manufacturer of sports optics and hunting- and shooting-related accessories, has announced the promotion of Blake Lipham to president and CEO. Lipham came to the company in 2007 as chief financial officer and was promoted to president in 2008.

Legal & Legislative

  • CALIFORNIA DOJ SEEKS COMMENTS ON MIRCOSTAMPING REGULATIONS . . . As reported back in February, the California Department of Justice at the time published proposed regulations to implement microstamping even though Attorney General Jerry Brown had not yet certified the concept. Last week, again without the attorney general certifying microstamping, the California DOJ announced it is seeking further comment on the "revised" regulations by Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. NSSF will once again be commenting on the microstamping regulations and pointing out that the concept is still flawed, easily defeated and protected by numerous patents. View the newly revised regulations.

  • COOLEY LEADS IN CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL RACE . . . In a hotly contested race, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R) has widened his lead over the weekend and now leads his Democrat rival, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, by nearly 37,000 votes, according to the latest statewide figures. The lead has gone back and forth between the two since Election Day, and there are still close to 900,000 mail-in and provisional ballots left to count. The wait will continue as counties have four weeks after Election Day to complete the count.

  • DON'T LIE FOR THE OTHER GUY LAUNCHES IN GULFPORT . . . To help stop illegal purchases of firearms, the Don't Lie for the Other Guy campaign was launched in Gulfport, Miss., this week. The Don't Lie message, "Buy a gun for someone who can't, and buy yourself ten years in jail," will be displayed on billboards and posters throughout the region and Don't Lie radio ads will be heard on local radio stations. Don't Lie for the Other Guy is a joint program of ATF and NSSF. The Gulfport launch of Don't Lie is being funded exclusively by the Gulfport Police Department.

  • PRESIDENT OBAMA CONCEDES THAT 1099 RULES ARE BURDENSOME . . . Following last week's midterm elections, which saw the Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives and eroded the Democrats' majority in the Senate, President Obama conceded that new Form 1099 reporting requirements are "burdensome" for small businesses and vowed to work with Republicans on a legislative fix. NSSF was one of the first groups to bring this important matter to Congress' attention. Read more.

  • HELLER GOES BACK TO COURT . . . On Nov. 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments in the lawsuit brought by Dick Heller seeking to overturn the district's new Post-Heller firearms regulations. Heller, the lead plaintiff who challenged the district's previous handgun ban in the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago and won, sued the district a second time claiming that its new firearms registration process, its ban on certain commonly possessed semiautomatic firearms and its prohibition of "large" capacity magazines were unduly burdensome and violated the Second Amendment. NSSF will be monitoring this case closely. Subscribe to NSSF Government Relations blog posts to receive future updates via e-mail.

  • EPA DENIES PETITION SEEKING BAN ON LEAD-BASED FISHING PRODUCTS . . . The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, Association of Avian Veterinarians, Project Gutpile and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility calling for a ban on the manufacture and use of lead-based fishing gear. The decision comes two months after the agency denied another portion of the petition calling for a ban on traditional ammunition. EPA sent a letter to the petitioners stating that they failed to demonstrate that the rule is necessary to protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. Responding to the EPA denial, the CBD issued a press release, stating, "The agency has attempted to punt on this issue, but we're not going to let it walk away from taking action on the preventable poisoning of birds and other animals."

News of Note

    Gov. Tim Pawlenty discusses Hunting Works for Minnesota on his statewide radio show.

  • MINNESOTA GOVERNOR'S DEER OPENER . . . NSSF was a key partner in the 8th Annual Minnesota Governor's Deer Hunting Opener at Camp Ripley near Little Falls, Minn., on Friday and Saturday. This year's venue was chosen to highlight our servicemen and women and their families. Camp Ripley is the main training grounds for the Minnesota National Guard and is also a 53,000-acre reserve. Each year, the governor's opener is held at a different host city to highlight the local community and the hunting heritage and economic strength deer hunting brings to Minnesota. On Friday, Gov. Tim Pawlenty held his radio show "Good Morning Minnesota" live at Camp Ripley, where he talked to a variety of guests about hunting, the local community and the National Guard. One of the governor's first guests was Hunting Works for Minnesota Co-Chair Ron Schara. The two discussed Hunting Works for Minnesota and the importance that hunting has on Minnesota's economy as well as the tax dollars generated through the Pittman-Robertson Act. While the governor did not bag a deer during his time on a stand, he was able to congratulate a teenage boy who shot his first deer and a teenage girl who was there on her first hunt. The event drew hundreds of spectators and was a great kickoff to Minnesota's deer season.

  • ELK FOUNDATION TO LAUNCH YOUTH SHOOTING PROGRAM . . . A new initiative to introduce youths and other newcomers to shooting sports, hunting and conservation is set to launch in 2011 powered by a generous donation to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation by Larry and Brenda Potterfield. The Potterfields, owners of MidwayUSA, contributed $400,000 to RMEF to help launch the new SAFE Challenge. SAFE is an acronym for Shooting Access For Everyone. SAFE will introduce young and novice shooters to safe, responsible, enjoyable firearm use, as well as educate newcomers about the hunter's role in conservation.

  • SPORTSMAN CHANNEL WRAPS UP HUNT, FISH, FEED TOUR 2010 . . . The Sportsman Channel concluded its second annual Hunt, Fish, Feed Tour in Pensacola, Fla. In its two-year history, the program has served more than 11,000 meals and 3,000 pounds of game meat and fish. The game and fish are donated by sportsmen to feed Americans struggling with hunger.

  • BLM WITHDRAWS WILDLIFE HABITAT IN COLORADO FROM ENERGY LEASE SALE . . . The Bureau of Land Management has withdrawn thousands of acres of prime backcountry wildlife and fish habitat in Colorado from an upcoming energy release sale scheduled for auction on Wednesday, reports the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. The five proposed leases, totaling 10,364 acres, are located in national forest roadless areas near Craig and south of Rifle and provide important wintering grounds for elk and mule deer.

NSSF Membership

  • RANGES AND RETAILERS: IF YOUR MEMBERSHIP HAS LAPSED, COME BACK FOR $50 . . . NSSF is reminding all ranges and retailers that may have let their NSSF membership lapse to come back now and take advantage of a special NSSF 50th anniversary rate of $50. Learn more.

Jobs


NSSF's Mission

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COPYRIGHT © 2010 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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