March 19, 2012

Vol. 13 No. 11

This Week:

Range Workshop

Families Afield

Industry News

Gov't Relations

Research

Microstamping Added to New York Budget

COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS TOPIC THIS WEEK . . . Anti-gun legislators from New York City for the fourth year continue to seek passage of firearms microstamping legislation. Bills authorizing microstamping are in both chambers, but most pressing is the inclusion of microstamping in the Assembly budget AB 9055C (Part B). Remington Arms Co. and Kimber Manufacturing, both New York-based manufacturers, have voiced strong opposition to microstamping in Albany. Firearms retailers, gun owners and sportsmen are urged to contact members of the Public Protection/Criminal Justice/Judiciary budget committee. The committee met today, but did not address microstamping. It will take up the topic this week.

Interested in Opening a Shooting Range?

  • NSSF INDOOR RANGE AND DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SET FOR JUNE . . . Anyone who has ever thought of opening an indoor shooting range/retail business should take advantage of the Indoor Range and Retail Development Workshop being presented by the National Shooting Sports Foundation June 18-21 in St. Louis, Mo. The workshop will feature professionals with years of experience in the retail, manufacturing and distributing segments of industry who will lead discussions on a variety of topics and help answer questions such as Where do I get started? To whom should I talk? How much does it cost? What rules and regulations do I need to follow? Learn more and register today at nssf.org/ranges/workshop. Overview | Agenda | Speakers | Registration | Travel/Hotel

Families Afield

    View Chart

  • APPRENTICE HUNTING LICENSE SALES TOP THREE-QUARTER MILLION . . . New research shows the vast impact that the Families Afield program is having across the country. In all, 782,604 apprentice hunting licenses have been sold with a significant portion of those being adults in 2011. The Families Afield partners, who include NSSF, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and National Wild Turkey Federation along with the National Rifle Association and Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, have worked to pass Families Afield bills in 32 states. Apprentice licenses, the hallmark of the Families Afield program, allow an experienced hunter to take a newcomer hunting under close supervision prior to the completion of a hunter education course. And, for the first time, data was collected on the age range of apprentice license buyers. In the states that were able to breakout license buyers by age, more than one third of all apprentice buyers were adults. Read more from the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.

Industry News

  • SAAMI WITHDRAWS ITS NAME FROM TAINTED U.N. PROGRAM . . . The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI), a registered United Nations non-governmental organization (NGO) with roster status, has taken the regrettable but necessary step of withdrawing any reference of SAAMI association from the U.N. agency project to create "International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS)." Read more about SAAMI's decision.

  • NEW BOARD MEMBERS AT NASGW . . . The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) has appointed Laurie Aronson, president and CEO of Lipseys LLC, and Michael Halleron, vice president of business development at Chattanooga Shooting Supplies Inc., to its board of directors. Read the press release.

  • SHOT SHOW: 'ZOMBIE-LIKE' REAPPEARANCE OF DIRECTORY SCAMS . . . "They're at it again. Like the living dead, various unscrupulous trade show directory scam artists have reappeared to haunt SHOT Show exhibitors," writes NSSF Senior Vice President and CMO Chris Dolnack in a post today on the SHOT Show Blog. Construct Data Verlag AG of Slovakia (formerly of Austria), which produces FAIRGuide, is seeking to take advantage of unsuspecting businesses that may still be cleaning the dust off their shoes from the recent SHOT Show.

  • 'HUNTING TRADITION POWERS SAVAGE' . . . "In an economy ravaged by downsizing and shrinking revenues, Savage Sports Holdings has managed to do just the opposite," begins a recent article in the Springfield (Mass.) Republican. The Massachusetts-based firearms manufacturer employees 294 at its plant and headquarters in Westfield, a 30 percent increase from last year. Read the newspaper's feature story on Savage.

Government Relations

  • NSSF CONGRESSIONAL FLY-IN 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. 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.

  • NSSF RESPONDS TO PETA'S LATEST MISGUIDED BARBS . . . When attention was called to photos on the Internet of Donald Trump's sons posing with African game animals they harvested on safari, the New York Daily News and other media reported comments from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demeaning the hunters' accomplishments. NSSF responded in a blog entry with experts' opinions on why hunting is necessary for Africans, wildlife and habitat.

  • U.S. APPEALS COURT ALLOWS WOLF HUNTS . . . A federal appeals court last week rejected a lawsuit from groups that want to block wolf hunting and trapping in the Northern Rockies. Read more from the Associated Press.

Research

  • STUDY: YOUTH HUNTERS, SHOOTERS CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE PEERS . . . The more familiar youth are with individuals their own age who hunt and target shoot, the more likely they will be to support and participate in these activities. This key finding and others come from a major new research project commissioned by the Hunting Heritage Trust and NSSF to determine the impact of peer influence on youth participation in hunting and the shooting sports. Results from the project were presented at the 77th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference last week in Atlanta. Read NSSF's press release.

    • View Chart

  • MORE THAN 2,000 FFLS ADDED TO MARKETPLACE SINCE JAN 2010 . . . According to data collected from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, NSSF reports that the number of Type 01 (defined as Dealer in Firearms . . .) Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) in the United States increased from 47,411 in January 2010 to 48,987 in February 2012. Additionally, the number of Type 02 FFLs (defined as Pawnbroker in firearms . . .) increased from 6,712 in January 2010 to 7,171 in February 2012. See chart for monthly history. "These increases over the past two years, especially considering the economic times, complement many other indicators that show strength for the firearms industry," said Randy Clark, NSSF managing director of business development.

  • USITC FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION DATA FOR JANUARY 2012 . . . NSSF reports that overall U.S. imports (in units) in six sporting arms and ammunition categories decreased 21.1 percent in January 2012 compared to January 2011. January 2012 imported units in tracked categories totaled 114.9 million, down from 145.7 million reported in January 2011. Overall U.S. exports (in units) in six sporting arms and ammunition categories increased 48.5 percent in January 2012 compared to January 2011. January 2012 exported units in tracked categories totaled 119.0 million, up from 80.2 million reported in January 2011. All figures sourced from U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). See a complete breakdown of each category's January import and export data.

State Agency News

  • HUNTERS DEFEAT HSUS EFFORT TO OUST CALIFORNIA COMMISSIONER . . . After a photo of California Fish and Game Commission President Dan Richards, along with the mountain lion he legally hunted in Idaho, appeared on a Western Outdoor News website, some California politicians and extreme animal rights organizations called for his resignation, indicating Richards had shown an indifference to Californian's sensitivities, because mountain lion hunting is banned in the Golden State. NSSF and other pro-hunting organizations rallied support for Richards, and WONews.com reported on the resulting outcry by sportsmen. A subsequent press release stated that the state legislature has backed off of the issue.

  • PUBLIC INVITED TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF HUNTING, FISHING AND ARIZONA WILDLIFE . . . The Arizona Game and Fish Department is inviting sportsmen and women, wildlife enthusiasts and other members to a meeting on Thursday, March 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. at its 5000 W. Carefree Highway office in Phoenix, to discuss how constituents can best unite and work together on issues and challenges affecting the future of hunting, fishing and Arizona's wildlife.

  • NEBRASKA HIRES NEW GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION DIRECTOR . . . James N. Douglas, formerly the deputy director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, has been named director of that body, succeeding Rex Amack, who is retiring in April.

News of Note

  • TWO SCTP ATHLETES NAMED TO JUNIOR OLYMPIC TEAM . . . Chris Webster and Will Hinton, both from Georgia, are Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) participants who have been selected to join the USA Shooting National Junior Olympic Team. Both shooters train at the South Georgia Youth Shooting and Bridge Creek Clays Training Center in Hartsfield, Ga. SCTP was founded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to recruit young people into the shotgunning sports while helping them develop character as well as shooting skills. The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation now administers the program, with continued support of NSSF.

  • ARMY ANNOUNCES NEW MARKSMANSHIP SECTION . . . The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit has announced its expansion with the creation of a Marksmanship Instructor Group and Parlympic Section, the first-ever Army units designed specifically for wounded warriors deemed able to continue to serve on active duty. View a flyer about the program.

  • NSSF NEWSLETTER MOTIVATES READERS TO PULL THE TRIGGER . . . Are you familiar with Pull The Trigger -- NSSF’s free monthly electronic newsletter for today’s gun owners? If not, we encourage you to review it and join the nearly 900,000 people who currently enjoy receiving Pull The Trigger. What sets this newsletter apart from others is its content: video tips for men and women from experts in target shooting, hunting, firearm maintenance, game cooking and other firearm-related topics. The experts include world champion Doug Koenig, members of the U.S. Olympic Team and the instructors at Gunsite Academy, among others. NSSF also encourages those of you currently receiving the newsletter to use Pull The Trigger content in your newsletters, publications, etc. as well as on your website. We hope you’ll also forward Pull The Trigger to your friends who share your passion for the shooting sports.

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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.

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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.

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