NSSF Bullet Points | Online News Service

March 18, 2013

Vol. 14 No. 10

This Week:

Government Relations

Retailers & Ranges

Research

News of Note

Colt Employees Remind Lawmakers
About Jobs, History

Colt employees gather in Hartford, Conn. to attend a public hearing on a number of gun-control measures.

CONNECTICUT HOLDS HEARING ON GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION . . . Samuel Colt's legacy is alive and well. On Thursday, 550 workers from the two Colt operating companies, successors of the Colt Armory that once made iconic Colt Peacemaker revolvers, boarded buses that brought them to the Legislative Office Building, part of the state Capitol complex in Hartford. They came to make their presence felt and to participate in a General Assembly committee hearing on a large number of gun-control measures under consideration following the December tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Their message was direct: "Save our Jobs." Michael Holmes, Colt United Auto Workers Shop Chairman, testified at the hearing, as did NSSF Director Government Relations, State Affairs Jake McGuigan; Joe Bartozzi from O.F. Mossberg; and Mark Malkowski of Stag Arms. On that same evening Gov. Dannel Malloy's town hall meeting in New Britain, home of Stag Arms, magazine maker ASC and numerous industry subcontractors, was dominated by the gun-control issue. Though not all the proposed additional gun-control legislation will move forward for eventual votes, action on some of the measures is expected within days. Watch video

AHEAD OF CONN. FORUM ON GUN CONTROL, O.F. MOSSBERG'S JOE BARTOZZI PENS OP-ED . . . Hartford, Connecticut's two most legendary residents have to be Mark Twain and Samuel Colt. So, it seems appropriate that on Friday, March 22, a public forum on gun control will be held at the historic Mark Twain House. Ahead of that discussion and to help preview it, Joe Bartozzi, O. F. Mossbeg vice president and general counsel, wrote an op-ed for the forum's sponsor, The Hartford Courant. Read more at the NSSF Blog.

Government Relations

U.S. SENATE PANEL APPROVES MSR BAN . . . On a straight party-line vote of 10-8, the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved S.150, the "Assault Weapons Ban of 2013." The committee began consideration of the bill last week, but due to scheduling conflicts and the time it took to consider a number of amendments, it wasn't until a week later that it was finally approved. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) offered a number of commonsense amendments, but all failed on party-line votes. At times, the meeting got contentious between the bill's sponsor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and one of its leading opponents, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). The bill, along with other firearms-related legislation recently approved by the Judiciary Committee, now heads to the Senate floor, where votes are expected in early April.
SCHUMER’S BACKGROUND CHECKS BILL PASSES COMMITTEE . . . Despite months of negotiations, a bipartisan compromise remains elusive on a background checks bill. As a result, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) chose to run his preferred language on background checks, which does not have the backing of any of the other senators who were working on a compromise. The "Fix Gun Checks Act" proposed by Schumer calls for so-called "Universal Background Checks" with very few exceptions and, as Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pointed out, was not ready for consideration as it was full of problems. Despite Grassley's objection and numerous examples of flaws, the bill was approved on a straight party-line vote, 10-8. Schumer, admitting his bill is not likely to gain approval by the full Senate, has vowed to continue attempts at crafting a bipartisan compromise, but major sticking points will need to be fixed before the bill will be brought to the floor.
DETROIT FREE PRESS ATTACKS INDUSTRY; SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE GIVES FAIR TREATMENT . . . Last week, the Detroit Free Press' particularly offensive editorial against the industry referenced, "the intellectual schism between gun owners and gun sellers." Receipt of a rapid response op-ed was acknowledged, but never run. Conversely, the San Francisco Chronicle reported "Most gun dealers vigilant, survey finds," citing a recent study of firearm retailers that has surfaced in the media. The author contacted NSSF for a quote, in which we relayed much of the same messaging as in our op-ed to the Free Press. The quote was dutifully included by the author.
IN COLORADO, TWO BILLS AWAIT THE GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE . . . At least two Colorado sheriffs say they will not enforce new gun regulations passed by the Democrat-dominated Legislature last week, if Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper signs the measures into law. The bills expand background checks and put limits on magazine capacity. “They’re feel-good, knee-jerk reactions that are unenforceable,” said Weld County Sheriff John Cooke in a Newser report.
NSSF CONGRESSIONAL FLY-IN REMINDER . . . All Voting Members are strongly encouraged to attend this key government relations effort to meet with key lawmakers and help advance the industry's federal legislative priorities. If you are interested in attending, please register today. A special group rate for hotel reservations will only be available for another week, until March 26.

Retailers & Ranges

'HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN' . . . NSSF has worked with noted author Tom Shay to create a series of operational books geared toward managing a firearms retail store. The fourth book in this series, How to Write a Business Plan for the Firearms Retailer, provides a detailed review of the components of the business plan. It covers topics such as creating an executive summary and marketing, personnel and financial plans, as well as identifying the supporting documents you'll need to include in your business plan. The book is available as a free download in the member-only section of the NSSF website. Bound copies may be ordered by email to Ann Siladi (free to members, $15 to nonmembers).

NSSF Research

View Graph

USITC FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION DATA FOR JANUARY 2013 . . . NSSF tracks and reports monthly U.S. import and export units for several sporting arms, ammunition and optics categories from the U.S. International Trade Commission. See a complete breakdown of each category's January import and export data. NSSF members can access additional historical import and export data by logging in at www.nssf.org/members and clicking NSSF Industry Research.

News of Note

NSSF AT M-DOWA/VOWA CONFERENCE . . . NSSF delivered its "firearms legislation facts" presentation at the joint Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association and Virginia Outdoor Writers Association Conference in Staunton, Va., last week. NSSF Director of Communications Bill Brassard Jr. encouraged the group to write about and respond to restrictive firearms legislation with accurate information, which NSSF provided in this video featuring NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti. Also at the conference, high school and college students read their winning essays from VOWA's annual writing contests.

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

"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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