November 14, 2011

Vol. 12 No. 45

This Week:

Government Relations

Industry News

Research

SHOT Show

NSSF Study: Hunters Donate
11 Million Venison Meals

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2.8 MILLION POUNDS OF GAME MEAT PROVIDED TO THOSE IN NEED . . . When you're passing the turkey and stuffing around the Thanksgiving dinner table, here's a story to tell -- one that would not be possible without the thoughtfulness and generosity of hunters. A new study commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and conducted by Mile Creek Communications reveals that last year 11 million meals were provided to the less fortunate through donations of venison by hunters. Nearly 2.8 million pounds of game meat made its way to shelters, food banks and church kitchens and onto the plates of those in need. The study revealed that donations were largest in the Midwest and the South. The Midwest provided 1.3 million pounds of game meat, amounting to 46.1 percent of total donations, with the South close behind at 1.25 million pounds and 45.7 percent. The Northeast contributed 7.2 percent of total donations and the West 1 percent. Though lower than other regions, the West's contribution still accounted for 108,520 meals. Read NSSF's complete news release.

Government Relations

  • NATIONAL RIGHT-TO-CARRY LEGISLATION TO BE VOTED ON TUESDAY . . . NSSF is encouraging all sportsmen, gun owners and firearms enthusiasts to contact their representative and urge him or her to support H.R. 822 -- legislation that would help protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners and enable millions of concealed carry permit holders to exercise their right to self-defense while traveling outside their home states. Learn more and send an email to your representative. Call your representative at 202-224-3121.

  • NSSF AND INDUSTRY MEMBERS MEET WITH CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR . . . Last week, senior executives from NSSF and several Connecticut-based firearms manufacturers visited with Gov. Dannel Malloy to discuss the significant economic role industry plays in the state. Commenting on the success of the meeting, NSSF President Steve Sanetti said, "This was a great opportunity that industry leaders in Connecticut deftly handled. The key issues our team discussed included removing the ban on Sunday hunting, modern sporting rifles and how excise taxes collected from industry fund wildlife conservation. We also addressed how a more firearms- and business-friendly environment in Hartford could benefit all Connecticut residents."

  • VIRGINIA AND ONE GUN A MONTH . . . A likely re-count not withstanding, last Tuesday's elections in Virginia have given Republicans control of the state Senate. This could be monumental for America's firearms industry and Second Amendment advocates as numerous gun bills, some stalled in the previous session, are introduced again. Among the bills likely to be heard is a repeal of the state's one-gun a month restriction. Read more.

  • SENATOR THANKS GROUPS FOR SUPPORT OF FEDERAL RANGES BILL . . . U.S. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) last week thanked groups from the hunting, shooting and conservation community for underscoring their support of a bill to develop shooting ranges on federal lands. NSSF has strongly supported this bill -- the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act (S.1249, and its companion H.R.3065) -- and led the way in getting hunting, shooting and conservation groups to sign on in support. Read more.

Industry News

    Don't Lie for the Other Guy

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  • INDUSTRY PROMOTES 'DON'T LIE' IN TIMES SQUARE . . . As part of an ongoing national effort to help prevent illegal straw purchases of firearms, an advertisement for the Don't Lie for the Other Guy program has been placed by NSSF on the giant 18 by 34-foot screen that is an icon of Times Square, dominating the corners of 7th and 8th Avenues at 42nd Street. The message reads: "Buy a gun for someone who can't and buy yourself 10 years in jail. Whatever you do . . . Don't Lie for the Other Guy . . . dontlie.org" More than 365,000 pedestrians walk through the "Great White Way" on any given day, making this a coveted spot for any public-education message campaign. "Don't Lie" is a cooperative program between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and NSSF. The effort was developed over a decade ago to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the crime of purchasing a firearm for someone who cannot legally do so. The program also helps ATF educate firearms retailers so they can be better prepared to detect and help deter potential straw purchases. The campaign drives home the message that anyone attempting an illegal firearm purchase faces a stiff federal felony penalty of up to 10 years in jail or up to $250,000 in fines. Full Story

  • SHOOTING INDUSTRY MASTERS TO RETURN TO ROCKCASTLE . . . FMG Publications announced that the 2012 Shooting Industry Masters will be returning to south central Kentucky. The 10th Annual Shooting Industry Masters will be held July 20-21, 2012, at the Rockcastle Shooting Center, Park Mammoth Resort, in Park City, Ky. The 2012 Masters will again support NSSF's First Shots program.

  • USE NSSF'S REGULAR LOGO FOR 2012 . . . NSSF thanks everyone in the industry for using its 50th Anniversary logo in 2011 and asks that they continue to use it through the end of the year. NSSF will transition back to its normal logo beginning Jan. 1, 2012, and asks all who use the Foundation's mark to do the same.

  • DOLNACK NAMED TO IAEE TASK FORCE . . . NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Dolnack has been named to the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) 2012 Senior Executives Programming Task Force. The task force serves in an advisory capacity to the IAEE professional staff to develop programming for the senior executive members of IAEE. The Senior Executives Roundtable goes beyond education -- it is aimed at those who must have market intelligence. The roundtable is a unique learning opportunity saturated with real-world experience for C-level executives.

Research

  • WE'RE LISTENING: NSSF BEGINS SOCIAL-MEDIA MONITORING . . . NSSF has teamed up with social-media monitoring giant Radian6 to monitor and measure online consumer conversations on hunting and target shooting. Public web posts from forums and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook can be measured, analyzed and reported to learn more about current sentiment. Be on the lookout in future issues of Bullet Points for charts and data outlining timely social market conditions.

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  • WHAT ARE HUNTERS TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW? . . . According to data pulled by NSSF and Radian6, hunters not surprisingly last week were mostly talking online about deer hunting and deer season. Duck hunting also moved up in the conversation in online forums and on sites like Twitter and Facebook. Click the conversation cloud at right to see other topics making their way into hunting-related discussions online. The time period for this report is Nov. 7-13.

  • SURVEY: MOST SPORTING LICENSES PURCHASED AT LOCAL RETAILERS . . . As state game agencies around the country employ the Internet to make hunting and fishing licenses easier for sportsmen to buy and information on sporting regulations simpler to obtain, the traditional route of purchasing a license at a local retailer before heading outdoors remains a popular option. Research conducted by HunterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com found that 58 percent of those hunters surveyed still purchase their licenses through a retailer. Read more from Southwick Associates.

    View full-size chart.

  • USITC FIREARMS AND AMMUNITON IMPORT DATA FOR SEPTEMBER . . . NSSF reports that overall U.S. imports (in units) for September in six sporting arms and ammunition categories declined 37.9 percent compared to September 2010. September 2011 imported units in tracked categories totaled 157,193,998, down from 253,153,307 reported in September 2010. For the first nine months of 2011, total unit imports in the four sporting arms categories fell 0.4 percent while the two ammunition categories declined 25.5 percent over the same time period in 2010. All figures sourced from U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). See a complete breakdown of each category's September import data.

SHOT Show

  • CHANGE CLEARS WAY FOR NEW EXHIBITORS AT THE SHOW . . . Back in July, NSSF first announced that it would begin to repurpose the SHOT Show exhibit floor. This means that going forward only companies that are involved in our core business -- shooting, hunting, outdoor and tactical -- will be able to exhibit at the show. Read an update from NSSF's Chris Dolnack on the SHOT Show Blog.

  • RETAILER SEMINAR: LEARN HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES . . . All retailers attending the SHOT Show are encouraged to attend the educational seminars scheduled on Thursday, Jan. 19. One of these seminars, "Hire Smart for Winning Results," will provide insights on how to interview prospective employees, avoid the top 10 hiring mistakes, explain proper steps in the hiring process and how to conduct interviews to ensure your store is getting the right person for the job. The $10 seminar will be presented by Deb Kenney, a more than 20-year veteran in the HR field and NSSF's managing director of human resources and administration. Register now.

News of Note

  • FIRST SHOTS BIG CITY TOUR KEEPS ROLLING . . . After a debut that by all accounts was a tremendous success, the First Shots Big City Tour continues to roll, with the announcement of March 3, 2012, as the date for the next stops -- in Miami and Sacramento. The tour kicked off with NSSF's introductory firearms fundamentals classroom and live-firing seminar, First Shots, at shooting facilities in the Chicago, Ill., and Madison, Wis., vicinity, on Nov. 5. In total, eight ranges helped 328 people take their first shots. To learn more about registering for a future seminar, as well as ranges hosting an event, visit the First Shots website.

  • ELK NO LONGER 'EXPERIMENTAL' IN SMOKIES . . . Absent from the region for 200 years, elk were reintroduced to the North Carolina section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2001. Last week officials delivered great news to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation--that the "experimental" status of the park's restored elk herd has been officially lifted, clearing the way for permanent management of elk in and around the park. RMEF is the largest supporter of the park's elk restoration project, with more than $800,000 in contributions. The healthy herd consists of about 140 animals. Read more.

  • VOTE FOR THE EXTREME HUNTRESS. . . Growth in women's participation in hunting is no accident. Heightened awareness, more publicity and a growing number of positive role models have all contributed, and you can, too. Help identify this year's most extreme example of this rapidly expanding group of hunters by voting in the Extreme Huntress contest organized by Tahoe Films. Vote now.

  • WISCONSIN SEES INCREASE IN FEMALE HUNTERS . . . The number of female hunters has grown steadily over the last several years in Wisconsin, the Associated Press reports. About 53,000 women were licensed to hunt in 2010, compared to about 46,000 in 2003.

NSSF Membership

  • TIME TO RENEW MEMBER DUES . . . Dues notices will be sent out by year's end, but you can get a jump on your 2012 dues renewal by going online to the members-only section of the NSSF website. If you've forgotten your member ID or password or you have any questions regarding dues renewal, email Samantha Hughes, NSSF member services coordinator, at shughes@nssf.org. "We encourage members to renew early by going online," said Bettyjane Swann, NSSF director, member services. "Early renewal will ensure your membership is in place at the 2012 SHOT show, which will give members the privilege of using the members lounge and business center while at the show."

NSSF History Snapshot

Throughout its 50th anniversary year, NSSF each week will be spotlighting various moments from the Foundation's history.

  • NSSF BOARD OF GOVENORS . . . In 1961, Fred Roff of Colt was elected the first president of NSSF Board of Governors. He was followed by Harmon Williams of Browning and 12 others, including current board chairman Bob Scott. Learn more at nssf.org/50.

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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.


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COPYRIGHT © 2011 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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