NSSF Bullet Points | Online News Service

June 3, 2013

Vol. 14 No. 21

This Week:

Government Relations

Families Afield

SHOT Business

Tornado Relief

News of Note

Recommendations to Improve Hunting, Wildlife Conservation, Issued by AWCP

Read the Report (PDF)

REPORT KEYS ON BEST APPROACHES TO CONSERVATION . . . The American Wildlife Conservation Partners, of which NSSF is a member, has just published its newest edition of Wildlife for the 21st Century. This report contains a series of recommendations to the Obama Administration on the best approaches to conservation for hunters and other sportsmen. Among the recommendations contained in the report are:

  • Promoting access to federal lands for hunting and recreational shooting;
  • Encouraging the creation of more shooting ranges;
  • Enhancing private land hunting and habitat conservation in a reauthorized Farm Bill;
  • Making permanent the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council. NSSF President Steve Sanetti is a council member.

Government Relations

  • COLO. SENATE PRESIDENT RECALL EFFORT GARNERS NEEDED SIGNATURES . . . The citizens organization working to recall Colorado Senate President John Morse over the passage of strict gun-control legislation today turned in more than 16,000 signatures at the Secretary of State's office, more than double the number of valid signatures needed to force a recall election in El Paso County later this year.

  • CONCEALED CARRY BILL PASSES ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE . . . Illinois lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to legislation allowing state residents to carry concealed firearms as the state neared a court-imposed deadline to allow the practice. Gov. Pat Quinn's spokesman said the governor would review the bill when it reaches his desk. A magazine-capacity limit was defeated.

  • APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS MULTIPLE-SALES REPORTING IN SW BORDER STATES . . . NSSF said Friday that it was disappointed by the ruling of U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, upholding an earlier denial of its 2011 lawsuit by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The suit was filed after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) sent demand letters to nearly 8,700 federal firearms licensees and pawnshops, including NSSF members in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas, requiring them to report multiple-rifle-sales information. Similar cases are pending in two other jurisdictions. Read NSSF's statement here.

  • CALIF. SENATE PASSES NEW STRICT GUN RESTRICTIONS . . . The California Senate last Thursday, largely along party lines, voted to approve strict new laws that, among other things, would prevent all new sales of semi-automatic firearms with removable magazines, ban magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds and require citizens purchasing ammunition to undergo background checks and get permits. The measures now move to the State Assembly. California gun laws are already among the toughest in the nation. Please call your Assembly member and tell him or her that passing these additional restrictions on your Second Amendment rights, as opposed to focusing on criminal activities, will do nothing to make California safer.

  • NSSF PRAISES LOUISIANA STATE LEGISLATURE FOR UNANIMOUS FIX NICS VOTE . . . NSSF has praised the Louisiana House of Representatives for following the State Senate lead and unanimously passing Senate Bill 135. Under the legislation, any Louisiana state resident who loses the right to possess firearms under state law will be reported to the State Supreme Court, which, in turn, will send this information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). "Louisiana legislators clearly understood that the background check system is only as good as the records in the database," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. The bill now goes to Gov. Bobby Jindal for signing into law.

  • IN NEW JERSEY, THREE BILLS MOVE TO GOVERNOR'S DESK . . . The New Jersey State Senate on Thursday approved 10 gun-control bills, of which three now go to Gov. Chris Christie for his expected signature, including one that requires the state to submit certain mental health records to NICS, a victory for the NSSF FixNICS initiative. The other measures going to the governor include one that mandates that state-run pension funds divest from companies making modern sporting rifles and another that prohibits anyone named on a terrorist watch list from obtaining a gun permit. Other measures passed previously also await Christie's action.

  • A GAP IN PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MEMO . . . President Obama today hosted a conference of mental health professionals as part of his initiative to improve public safety after the Newtown tragedy, but he missed the opportunity to address the surest way to make substantial progress on this national issue. See our blog post on this topic.

  • SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR JUNE 11 GUN OWNERS' RALLY IN ALBANY . . . A hoped-for crowd of 25,000 gun owners will assemble in New York's capital city of Albany to protest the SAFE Act. That draconian gun-control legislative package was passed in haste in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. The protestors will be supported by a number of speakers recently announced by the rally's organizers. Among those speakers will be Jeanine Pirro, TV host of Justice with Judge Jeanine and a former Westchester County, N.Y., district attorney; Dan Bongino, former Secret Service agent and candidate for U.S. senator in Maryland; Carl Paladino, gun-rights advocate and former New York gubernatorial candidate; and Bill Nojay, assemblyman and radio talk-show host. Please note that the rally is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11; last week's Bullet Points incorrectly reported the rally was slated for June 10.

  • ATF DIRECTOR CONFIRMATION HEARING JUNE 11. . . The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has moved its hearing on President Obama's nomination of B. Todd Jones to become the next permanent director of ATF to June 11. NSSF looks forward to the hearing Mr. Jones' testimony on issues of concern to our industry.

Families Afield

  • NORTH CAROLINA TO BECOME 35TH STATE TO ENACT FAMILIES AFIELD LEGISLATION . . . North Carolina's state legislature has passed legislation that will allow new hunters to go afield under the guidance of a licensed adult mentor before taking a hunter education course. North Carolina will be the 35th state to enact Families Afield legislation, the initiative founded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance to break down barriers preventing greater hunter participation. Read the NSSF press release.

SHOT Business

  • SHOT BUSINESS JUNE/JULY ISSUE . . . The latest issue of SHOT Business magazine is now available online at shotbusiness.com. This issue includes two features, "LAW ENFORCEMENT 2013" and "What Women Want." "LAW ENFORCEMENT 2013" highlights the latest guns and gear, including optics, for the law enforcement community, and "What Women Want" takes aim at helping retailers do a better job of connecting with women shooters. Also find the most recent news briefs, what's selling where, new products, what's new from NSSF and much more.

Tornado Relief

  • NSSF EXTENDS DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR TORNADO-RECOVERY ASSISTANCE . . . Following the May 22 announcement by the National Shooting Sports Foundation that it was launching a disaster-relief effort to help member businesses impacted by the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma and northern Texas, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry has announced that it is extending its deadline for applying for relief from June 14 to June 28. "The region's woes have been compounded by subsequent severe weather events, and we want to make sure that, in light of these setbacks, eligible members have the opportunity to apply for this aid," said Bettyjane Swann, NSSF director, member services. To learn more about the $100,000 NSSF is making available in dedicated aid for business loss or damage resulting from the tornadoes, read the press release issued on May 22 (with the original June 14 deadline) and download the online application for aid.

News of Note

  • STILL TIME TO APPLY FOR NSSF BOY SCOUTS CHALLENGE GRANTS . . . A limited amount of funds remain available for Boy Scouts of America Councils to request up to $2,000 to be used toward shooting supplies and equipment needs through the NSSF Boy Scouts Challenge Grants program. Purchases must be made from an NSSF member retailer, and councils must match the amount of the requested grant. Applicants can view grant guidelines and application procedures at www.nssf.org/bsagrant. For information contact NSSF's Melissa Schilling at mschilling@nssf.org.

  • NASGW PROVIDES MAJOR SUPPORT FOR PROJECT CHILDSAFE . . . The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) recently donated $30,000 to NSSF in support of its Project ChildSafe firearms safety education program. "It is NASGW's privilege to join other industry partners in helping NSSF support this very important initiative," said Kent Williams, NASGW chairman of the board. "We encourage all of our members to become involved as well. NSSF has taken a critical role in providing this valuable information and tools to educate youth in the proper safety and use of firearms." Read the full press release.

  • NSSF'S LONGSTANDING SUPPORT OF NHF DAY . . . NSSF will continue as a major sponsor of National Hunting and Fishing Day--a day formalized by Congress in 1972 to celebrate the role sportsmen and women play in helping to protect wildlife and wild lands across America. "NSSF's support has forged new pathways for hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen for the past 42 years," said the NHF Day release. Bass angler, TV host and conservationist Bill Dance is this year's NHF Day honorary chairman. "National Hunting and Fishing Day creates a national conversation about the extraordinary contributions sportsmen and women make to conservation and also to promoting firearm safety and ethical behavior in the outdoors," said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti. Each year NHF Day occurs on the fourth Saturday of September; this year that's September 28.

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COPYRIGHT © 2013 by National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted for broadcast, publication, retransmission to email lists, Websites 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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