NSSF Bullet Points | Online News Service

March 4, 2013

Vol. 14 No. 8

This Week:

Industry News

Government Relations

Retailers

Research

News of Note

States Benefit from Economic Impact of Hunting

NSSF RELEASES HUNTING ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT . . . Using data from a major new report, NSSF has sent customized news announcements to all 50 states documenting the importance of hunting activities to each state's economy and to conservation. The report, Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation, notes that U.S. hunting-related spending grew by 55 percent in 2011, adding $87 billion to the nation's economy and supporting more than 680,000 jobs nationally. "The major growth in spending by hunters is good news for businesses throughout the country, particularly small businesses in rural areas," said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. The report provides information on more than 40 categories, including number of hunters, retail sales, taxes and jobs.

Industry News

SPEAKING OUT TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION . . . NSSF President Steve Sanetti wrote an op-ed that appeared in the four Hearst-owned Connecticut newspapers on Sunday, the Connecticut Post, Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time and Danbury News-Times that called on Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and the leaders of the General Assembly to make sure that the state's firearms manufacturers are at the table for discussions on measures to prevent future violence involving the criminal misuse of firearms. Writes Sanetti, "The best way to prevent negligent or criminal misuse of any firearm is to deny access to it." Read more.

Watch the WTNH Report

TV REPORTS GETS MSR FACTS CORRECT! . . . In media interviews nationwide, NSSF and its firearms-manufacturer members continue to correct misinformation about AR-style modern sporting rifles. A fact-filled video report aired by Connecticut's WTNH Channel 8 debunks the claim that the modern sporting rifle operates like a machine gun. Colt Manufacturing CEO Dennis Veilleux is featured in the report.
Read more | MSR fact card
FIREARMS INDUSTRY'S SHARE OF VOICE INCREASING IN NATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE . . . The national news media has become increasingly interested in the long history of the firearms industry and its economic impact on the Northeast, where much of it is concentrated, in light of the onerous additional regulations either already passed or under consideration in some state legislatures. Last week, USA Today in a graphics-heavy story package and The Washington Post in a long feature article with several photos provided perspectives that had been largely missing in the national debate over gun-control legislation.
RUGER REPORTS EARNINGS . . . Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE:RGR) reported Wednesday that sales were up 50 percent in 2012 compared to 2011. Sales were up 52 percent in the fourth quarter compared to the same period the previous year. The company said new product introductions were a significant growth component during the year, with new products accounting for 38 percent of firearm sales in 2012. New product introductions in 2012 included the Ruger American rifle, the 10/22 TakeDown rifle, the SR22 pistol, the 22/45 Lite pistol and the Single-Nine revolver.

Government Relations

MARKUP OF GUN LEGISLATION THIS THURSDAY . . . The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning will begin a "mark up" of four separate bills relevant to firearms and school safety. The bills expected to be marked up include S.150, "The Assault Weapons Ban of 2013" introduced by Sen. Feinstein; S.54, the "Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013" introduced by Sen. Leahy (D-Vt.); S.374, a Universal Background Check bill introduced by Sen. Schumer (D-N.Y.); and S.146, the "School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013" introduced by Sen. Boxer (D-Calif.). NSSF will be closely monitoring the action in this committee.
GUN ADVOCATES' PROTEST OF N.Y. GUN LAWS HEARD EVEN IN COURT . . . Thousands of gun-rights advocates descended upon the state Capitol in Albany last Thursday to deliver their message of dissatisfaction with the hastily passed laws that aggressively restrict both firearm and ammunition purchasing and ownership. The gun-rights advocates' voices were heard in the New York judicial system as well, for a state Supreme Court justice has ordered the state to justify the constitutionality of the NY SAFE Act, which was passed without the usual specified waiting period for legislative review and public comment.
MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR SUFFERS BLOWBACK FOR EXTORTION SCHEME . . . Earlier this month, NSSF warned about the effort by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to extort gun control concessions from gun makers by manipulating municipal contracts to equip police officers. We noted that the rigorous process of selecting a service sidearm for any law enforcement agency is serious business, and that the mayor's effort to politicize the process would not sit well even with his own police force, much less those in other cities. In a letter from the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (POFM), Rybak's extortion scheme is blasted and the mayor is accused of "using rank--and--file Minneapolis police officers as pawns." The letter goes on to say that "putting the police department in turmoil, risking the safety of police officers and potentially making the city liable for millions of dollars in lawsuits is a bad idea." Continue reading.
MONTANA SENATE PASSES FAMILIES AFIELD BILL . . . The Montana State Senate has passed Senate Bill 197, which would create an apprentice hunting license for people age nine and older. The bill now moves to the state's House of Representatives for further consideration. The bill would allow an experienced adult mentor to take a newcomer hunting under restricted circumstances prior to the completion of hunter education. The "try before you buy" apprentice license approach, part of the Families Afield initiative founded by NSSF, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and the National Wild Turkey Federation, and supported by NRA and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, has been implemented in 34 other states and is credited with recruiting more than 782,000 new hunters since 2006.
NSSF LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER . . . NSSF's online Legislative Action Center is the industry's one-stop hub for finding contact information for legislators, learning about newly introduced legislation, finding background information on the issues and for taking action -- sending letters and contacting elected officials

Retailers

SEQUESTRATION THREATENS NICS . . . A letter to Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, from FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III draws a bleak picture of the potential negative impact of the budgetary cutbacks forced by sequestration. One net effect would be cutting 2,285 FBI employees, including 755 agents, through furloughs and a hiring freeze. The director says that timely processing and searching of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) would be affected. Delays "increase the risk of firearms being transferred to a convicted felon or other prohibited person which, in turn, would have a significant detrimental effect on public and law enforcement safety at a time when the NICS workload is expanding." Read the FBI director's entire letter.
TUNE UP AND STAFF UP WITH EMPLOYMENT GUIDE FOR THE FIREARMS RETAILER . . . NSSF has worked with noted author Tom Shay to create a series of operational books geared toward managing a firearms retail store. The second book in this series, Employment Guide for the Firearms Retailer, provides a detailed overview of the creation of both an employee job description and employment advertisement, and of the hiring, training and evaluation process, as well as setting metrics for the staff. This, and the other four books in the series, are available as free downloads in the member-only section of the NSSF website. Bound copies may be ordered from Ann Siladi at asiladi@nssf.org (free to members, $15 to nonmembers).

Research & Statistics

FEBRUARY NSSF-ADJUSTED NICS CHECKS UP 29.1% . . . The February 2013 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,634,309 is an increase of 29.1 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,266,344 in February 2012. For comparison, the unadjusted February 2013 NICS figure of 2,298,561 reflects a 32.5 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,734,646 in February 2012. This marks the 33rd straight month that NSSF-adjusted NICS figures have increased when compared to the same period the previous year. Read more.
SOUTHWICK RELEASES LIST OF TOP HUNTING AND SHOOTING EQUIPMENT, ACCORDING TO HUNTERSURVEY AND SHOOTERSURVEY.COM . . . Research company Southwick Associates has announced the brands hunters and shooters purchased most frequently in 2012, compiled from 35,081 Internet-based surveys completed by hunters and shooters. Those participants volunteered to take part in HunterSurvey.com and ShooterSurvey.com polls. Read what the participants' top brands were.
GUN OWNERSHIP UP, VIOLENT CRIME DOWN . . . A Washington Post story looks at the amazing reduction in firearms fatalities and violent crime overall and notes, "The drop in deaths from firearms and in slayings overall--over the past two decades, homicide declined by 80 percent in the District and overall crime fell by 75 percent in New York City--has come even as the economy has tanked, the number of guns owned by Americans has soared and the number of young people in the prime crime demographic has peaked."

News of Note

FACTS ABOUT "3D PRINTING" . . . Anti-gun activists have trotted out plenty of scare tactics over the past few months. One of these manufactured crises relates to the use of what has been termed "3D printing" technology to produce firearms. Despite the heated rhetoric, the fact remains that this technology, in itself, does not present a public safety problem. Its high cost, limited effectiveness and the need for highly-skilled experts to use this technology mean that criminals are not using -- and will likely never use -- 3D printing to produce firearms. Here are three facts about 3D printing.
PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS 75 YEARS, CONSERVATION SUCCESS . . . The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service has released a landmark publication celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, the cornerstone of fish and wildlife conservation in North America. This vital program provides more than $700 million each year through the sale of hunting and fishing equipment to support habitat conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the nation. The anniversary publication comes at the end of a year-long awareness campaign highlighting the program, one of the most significant and successful conservation initiatives in history. Read the 75th anniversary publication online.
RUMOR MILL: AMMO SHORTAGE IS GEORGE SOROS' FAULT. . . The latest Internet rumor has George Soros owning "most of the ammunition manufacturing companies and many arms manufacturers as well." It goes on to suggest that Soros and his few remaining competitors are selling new production only to the government, while the civilian market has been relegated to a fast-disappearing stock of old ammunition. The gaps in the current ammunition supply are frustrating -- but they are not a conspiracy. Read more.
INTERMEDIA RESPONDS . . . Intermedia Outdoors CEO Jeff Paro has denied a Daily Caller story claiming there was a plan to "gut and destroy" the firm known for publishing many outdoor magazines, owning the Sportsmen's Channel, which is soon to merge with the Outdoor Channel. As reported in today's Outdoor Wire, Paro said, "An article appeared Friday morning in the Daily Caller that suggested that InterMedia Outdoors and our investment partners, InterMedia Partners, specifically Leo Hindery Jr., are involved in a politically motivated scheme to acquire and then dismantle all of our thriving businesses in the hunting, shooting and fishing space. The article is based on "unnamed sources" and is simply a preposterous idea. InterMedia Outdoors is owned by InterMedia Partners VII, a private equity fund with numerous limited partners. Leo Hindery, Jr., as the General Partner of InterMedia Partners, has a legal and fiduciary responsibility to his limited partners to maximize the value of each of InterMedia Partners' investments, including InterMedia Outdoors, and he vigorously works to do that each day, as witnessed by his long and successful track record. To suggest different is wildly incorrect." Read more.
$30 MILLION ENDOWMENT FOR RMEF . . . The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation announced last week that it was the recipient of a historic, "game-changer" gift--the $30 million Torstenson Family Endowment--that it will dedicate to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and the heritage of hunting. "This is a monumental game-changer for RMEF," said the foundation's president and CEO, David Allen. "This endowment allows RMEF to expand Bob Torstenson's passion and vision for wildlife and conservation in ways we could have never imagined." Read more.
USSA CEO TO STEP DOWN BY END OF YEAR . . . The chairs of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance board of directors and the USSA Foundation's board of trustees jointly announced that after 16 years of distinguished service Bud Pidgeon, president and CEO, will step down from his leadership position by the end of the year. An orderly transition will take place to select his successor. "Both boards are collectively thrilled with Bud Pidgeon's performance over the years," said Mason Lampton, vice chairman of USSA board of directors. Pidgeon will take on a special assignment for the organizations after his resignation becomes effective.

Jobs

FIREARMS INDUSTRY JOBS . . . Visit www.nssf.org/jobs for current employment opportunities in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. Employers: Log in to post a job opening.

NSSF's Mission

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