NSSF Bullet Points | Online News Service

May 7, 2012

Vol. 13 No. 18

This Week:

Industry News

Government Relations

Retailers & Ranges

News of Note

$100,000 in Grants Available for Boy Scouts Councils

FUNDS WILL HELP STENGTHEN SHOOTING SPORTS ACTIVITIES . . . For the second year, NSSF will make available a total of $100,000 in challenge grants to encourage developing and expanding shooting sports programs at local Boy Scouts of America Councils. The challenge grants from NSSF are available to qualifying BSA Councils that plan to strengthen and increase their activities in the shooting sports. Such programs teach Scouts marksmanship skills, firearm and range safety, teamwork and fundraising. "Our challenge grant program extends our longstanding partnership with the Boy Scouts of America and presents councils with a great opportunity to teach Scouts about the shooting sports and safe, responsible firearms ownership," said Melissa Schilling, NSSF's director of recruitment and retention. "Target shooting is one of the most popular Scouting activities, and NSSF hopes even more Scouts will gain knowledge of the shooting sports by taking advantage of these grants." Applicants may view NSSF BSA Council Challenge Grant guidelines and application procedures at www.nssf.org/bsagrant. Read NSSF's complete news release.

Industry News

    View full-size chart.

  • APRIL NSSF-ADJUSTED NICS BACKGROUND CHECKS UP 10.5% . . . The April 2012 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 931,658 is an increase of 10.5 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 843,484 in April 2011. For comparison, the unadjusted April 2012 NICS figure of 1,416,074 reflects a 5.7 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,339,673 in April 2011. This marks the 23rd straight month that NSSF-adjusted NICS figures have increased when compared to the same period the previous year. Read more.

  • FIREARMS SALES SURGE IN WISCONSIN . . . Since the state's concealed carry law went into effect last November, permit applications and firearms sales have been surging in Wisconsin, according to a story in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Steve Lauer, owner of Lauer Custom Weaponry, a manufacturer of firearms, coatings and accessories in Chippewa Falls, said, "It's incredible. We can hardly keep up." Use of the state's background check hotline is at record pace. Anti-gun groups trying to downplay Americans' rising interest in gun ownership use the weak argument that those buying guns in Wisconsin (and nationally) are simply adding to their collections, but Kevin Nugent, owner of the Shooters Shop in West Allis, says otherwise. "We're seeing a lot of new shooters and a lot of women shooters," said Nugent, whose business is up 20 to 30 percent.

  • RUGER SALES JUMP 49 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTER . . . Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE:RGR) reported that first-quarter sales were up 49 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Said CEO Michael Fifer, "New product introductions were a significant component of our sales growth as new product sales represented $40.8 million or 37 percent of sales in the first quarter of 2012." Ruger's results again beat Wall Street expectations. The company has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in seven of the last seven quarters.

  • ATK SALES UP 12 PERCENT IN SECURITY AND SPORTING GROUP . . . ATK (NYSE:ATK) reported that fourth-quarter sales were up 12 percent in its Sporting and Security Group, which includes ammunition for law enforcement, military and sporting applications as well as optics, reloading gear and sport-shooting and tactical accessories. For the full year, Security and Sporting group sales were up 8 percent compared to the previous year. As announced in February, ATK going forward will adopt a three-group structure. The three operating units are the Aerospace Group, the Defense Group and the Sporting Group.

  • TAURUS ACQUIRES HERITAGE MANUFACTURING . . . Taurus, well-known maker of firearms, has announced the acquisition of Heritage Manufacturing, Inc. of Opa Locka, Fla., manufacturer of the Western Single Action Revolver and other firearms. Read more about this development.

Government Relations

  • PROPOSAL TO CITE HOLDER WITH CONTEMPT . . . Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) last week circulated a draft proposal to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failure to cooperate fully in the inquiry of "Fast and Furious," the mishandled, ATF-directed gun-trafficking scheme. In the document, Issa, who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating the gun operation, charged DOJ with issuing false denials, misdirecting investigators, intimidating witnesses and withholding subpoenaed documents. According to a Washington Post story, the Justice Department disputed the accusations.

  • BILL WOULD CLASSIFY MOURNING DOVE AS GAMEBIRD IN NEW YORK . . . Senate Bill 6968, sponsored by Sen. John A. DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse), would classify mourning doves as migratory gamebirds in New York, allowing state wildlife officials to set a dove hunting season. New York's Department of Environmental Conservation website states, ". . . no biological reason why doves could not be hunted in New York." The bill is currently pending before New York's State Environmental Conservation Committee, and New Yorkers should direct their support to their state senator.

Retailers & Ranges

  • NATIONAL TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER TO THE RANGE DAY . . . June 9 will mark the first annual national Take Your Daughters to the Range Day, presenting an opportunity for shooting facilities across the country to make a special effort to attract and perhaps introduce young women and their parent or parents to the world of shooting. Learn more about this event.

  • ATF POSTS REVISED FORM 4473 . . . ATF has posted a revised Form 4473 to its website. This follows Open Letters published in December 2011 advising Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) of upcoming changes to regulations relating to the definition of "State of residence" and the prohibitions relating to firearms possession by nonimmigrant aliens. The revised forms may not be used to record firearms transactions, however, until the two regulatory amendments are published in the Federal Register. Until then, FFLs should use the current Form 4473, revised in August 2008. ATF will send FFLs a supply of the new forms well before the effective date, as well as a notice of the effective date of the new regulations. NSSF will send class one and two FFLs the revised pages for its 4473 overlay to accommodate the amended regulations. All FFLs are encouraged by ATF to monitor its website for further information on this development.

  • ATF COMPILES TOP 10 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (& ANSWERS) . . . The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in an effort to address the many telephone calls and electronic inquiries it receives, has compiled a list of top 10 most frequently asked questions and has provided the answers to those questions. View the "top 10."

  • LETTER TO FFLS ADDRESSES A COMPLIANCE VIOLATION . . . An Open Letter from ATF addresses a situation that occurred in Miami where a Federal Firearms Licensee facilitated the licensed export of a firearm to a foreign buyer by checking in the firearm as luggage of the foreign buyer. The ATF letter points out that this would be a transfer under the Gun Control Act (GCA), thus requiring a Form 4473 and NICS check. The letter describes in more detail the Miami scenario and how the firearm could be lawfully exported without violating the GCA.

News of Note

  • ARMED CITIZEN ALLIANCE: OUTREACH ORGANIZATION FOR NEW GUN OWNERS . . . NSSF is proud to support the newly founded Armed Citizen Alliance. The ACA is the only national organization created for the sole purpose of assisting ordinary American citizens in preparing themselves for the responsibilities of armed personal and home defense. It is supported by a broad-based nationwide coalition of companies and organizations from the shooting sports and firearms community. The ACA has two core missions. The first is to provide the overall concealed-carry and personal-defense community and industry with an organization and a program to which personal-defense firearms customers can turn as their "first-contact" point for practice and familiarization. The second, and equally important, mission is to offer an attractive and easily accessible program to "draw in" new and inexperienced purchasers of concealed-carry and personal-defense firearms through which they can become familiar with their personal- and home-defense firearms while having fun doing it. Learn more about the ACA at armedcitizenalliance.com.

  • RICHMOND WINS DOUBLE TRAP GOLD AT WORLD CUP COMPETITON . . . Josh Richmond, of Hillsgrove, Pa., and the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, earned the gold medal in double trap on Sunday at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy. Richmond, by virtue of his performance in World Cups and as the 2010 World Champion, has already secured a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team.

  • OLYMPIC TEAM SPOTS FOR SHOTGUN TO BE DETERMINED IN TUCSON . . . The nation's best shotgun competitors will put years of hard work and training on the line May 17-20 in hopes of earning the right to represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Olympic spots are available in women's trap, men's double trap and two in men's skeet. The trials for shotgun will be held at the Tucson Trap & Skeet Club, outside Tucson, Ariz. Kim Rhode (women's skeet) and Josh Richmond (men's double trap) have already secured "nominations" for the Olympic team.

  • JACKSONVILLE U. SHOOTING TEAM ON THE MOVE, WITH CSSI SUPPORT . . . Jacksonville University, a relative newcomer to collegiate shooting, got a boost in its formative club stage with funding from NSSF's Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative. Now, having climbed to "team" status, the Florida university's squad is facing high-level collegiate shooting competition--and distinguishing itself. At the ACUI Clay Target Championships in San Antonio, Texas, the team took third place overall in Division III, as well as thirds in both American Skeet and International Skeet. Next year Jacksonville's program will move into Division II competition. Read more about this remarkable success story.

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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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