February 27, 2012

Vol. 13 No. 8

This Week:

Industry News

Government Relations

Shooting

Jobs

NSSF PAC Welcomes House Speaker

House Speaker John Boehner (center) with NSSF President Steve Sanetti (right) and Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane.

BOEHNER: 'MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME' . . . The National Shooting Sports Foundation Political Action Committee welcomed House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to the NSSF Winter Board of Governors Meetings last week. Mr. Boehner discussed with NSSF board members the importance of the upcoming election, calling it "the most important election of our lifetime." He thanked America's firearms and ammunition industry for the contribution it makes to the nation's economy. "It was a great honor to have Speaker Boehner join us in Florida for our reception," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "This was a tremendous opportunity for industry leaders to engage with the speaker on key legislative and regulatory matters affecting the global marketplace and our industry." Since its inception two years ago, the NSSF PAC has quickly and steadily gained political momentum -- a necessity in today's political climate where anti-gun and anti-hunting forces remain intent on restricting the lawful commerce of firearms and destroying America's hunting heritage. Learn more about the NSSF PAC.

Industry News

  • RUGER SALES JUMP 45 PERCENT IN FOURTH QUARTER . . . Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE:RGR) reported that fourth-quarter sales were up 45 percent compared to the same period the previous year. For 2011, sales were up 29 percent compared to 2010. Said CEO Michael Fifer, "In 2011, new product introductions were a significant component of our sales growth as new product sales represented $98.6 million, or 30 percent, of sales in 2011." Ruger's fourth quarter results easily beat Wall Street expectations for both revenue and earnings.

  • CONSUMER HANDGUN REPORT AVAILABLE TO NSSF MEMBERS . . . NSSF members have exclusive access to a 70-plus-page report that posts the results of a comprehensive study on current consumer handgun ownership and usage. Findings cover consumers' handgun purchase locations, primary uses, ammunition usage and shooting frequency. This report and other research materials are available to members by logging in to the members section of NSSF's website. If you don't remember your member ID or password, please contact Samantha Hughes, NSSF member services coordinator, by email or by calling 203-426-1320.

    View full-size chart.

  • WHAT'S TRENDING? HANDGUNS . . . Glock, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Colt and SIG Sauer were the most mentioned handgun brands online over the past month, according to data pulled by NSSF and social-media monitoring service Radian6. Click here to see how mentions of each brand fluctuated week to week. The chart data sourced from Radian6 tracked 55 top handgun manufacturers with a weekly sample of more than 5,000 online public mentions. Mentions come from a variety of social-media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, blogs, forums, YouTube and others.

Government Relations

  • NSSF CONGRESSIONAL FLY-IN SET FOR APRIL 18-19 . . . Officials from NSSF and executives from the Foundation's Voting Member companies will travel to Washington, D.C., April 18-19 to meet with key lawmakers and help advance the industry's federal legislative priorities. Building on the success of past Congressional Fly-Ins, representatives from the industry will meet face-to-face with congressional leaders about their concerns. Participation in the Fly-In is a Voting Member benefit. All Voting Members are strongly encouraged to attend this key government relations effort. This year's Fly-In will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. If you are interested in attending and receiving additional details as they become available, please contact mswarts@nssf.org.

  • GOVERNORS SPORTSMEN'S CAUCUS MEETS . . . The Governors Sportsmen's Caucus met this past weekend in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the National Governors Association winter meetings. The group, which NSSF sponsors, has more than 23 members of both parties and is led by Govs. Brian Schweitzer (D-Mont.), Susana Martinez (R-N.M.) and Mike Beebe (D-Ark.). Read more.

  • MEXICAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR U.S. GUN CONTROL; NSSF RESPONDS . . . Mexican President Felipe Calderon recently unveiled a large sign with the English message "No more weapons!" on a Mexican bridge facing El Paso, Texas. Calderon used the unveiling of this sign to call for additional gun-control measures in the United States, including the reinstitution of a ban on modern sporting rifles. Read more on the NSSF Blog.

Shooting

  • SIX QUALIFY IN AIRGUN FOR U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM . . . Trials for the Airgun squad representing the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London concluded with last weekend's match in Port Clinton, Ohio. Emerging as Olympic team nominees were two men and two women in the 10m Air Rifle competition, including a pair of newcomers to Olympic competition. Two Olympic veterans secured places on the team for 10m air pistol. Read more about these talented Air Pistol and Air Rifle athletes.

  • BOYS' LIFE SPOTLIGHTS SCTP TRAP SHOOTER . . . In its March edition, Boys' Life magazine profiles trap shooter Max Milan in its "BL Headliners" section. Milan, an Eagle Scout from Ponte Vedra, Fla., was a gold medalist at the 2011 Scholastic Clay Target Program National Championships. He began shooting two years ago. He also won first place at the 2011 Southeast Regional Trap Championships, first place at the 2010 Florida State Championships, first place at large at the 2010 Georgia-Alabama USA Shooting Championship and competed in the 2010 and 2011 Junior Olympics.

  • CAN FEMALE ATHLETES COMPETE AGAINST MEN? . . . "As a member of the Texas Christian University rifle team, junior Sarah Scherer competes against some of the best female -- and male -- shooters in the country. But when she competes in the second round of the Olympic trials at Camp Perry, Ohio, this weekend, she'll only be competing against other women," begins a Wall Street Journal story published last week. Read the full article here.

Jobs


NSSF's Mission

"To promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports."

Click here to visit the NSSF website and see how we accomplish this mission.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find NSSF on:


COPYRIGHT © 2012 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.

Share this email

Share via Twitter Share via Facebook Share via Email Share Other

NSSF.org

Bullet Points Online

Archive

Subscribe

---------------------

NSSF Blog

Covering issues affecting the industry, gun ownership and hunting and the shooting sports.

---------------------

SHOT Show Blog

Stay current on news and information about NSSF's SHOT Show -- the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry's largest trade show.

---------------------

SHOT Business

The modern magazine of the shooting sports industry and the official publication of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

---------------------