NSSF Bullet Points | Online News Service

June 24, 2013

Vol. 14 No. 24

This Week:

Research

Government Relations

Ranges/Retailers

Industry News

News of Note

NSSF Report: First-time Gun Buyers

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NSSF RELEASES STUDY ON FIRST-TIME GUN BUYERS . . . A study commissioned by NSSF reveals that first-time gun buyers are largely active in one or more shooting activities and that women are motivated to purchase their first firearm predominately for personal defense. InfoManiacs Inc. conducted the online research in March and April and involved consumers aged 22 to 65 who bought their first firearm during 2012. Key findings included: the majority of first-time buyers (60.3 percent) tend to be active, using their gun once per month, with one in five reporting usage of once a week or more; target shooting is by far the most popular shooting activity among first-time gun owners (84.3 percent said they used their firearm for that purpose), followed by hunting (37.7 percent) and plinking (27.4 percent). Fox Business filed a report on the soaring retail sales of firearms, quoting NSSF Director, Public Affairs, Michael Bazinet. The report recognizes the significant boost first-time buyers are giving to these record sales. Read today's NSSF press release on the NSSF study, the actual study, available to NSSF members, and the Fox Business report.

Research

NSSF FIREARMS RETAILER SURVEY REPORT . . . The fifth annual edition of the NSSF Firearms Retailer Survey Report contains trend data from 2008 to 2012 based on firearm retailer employee responses on topics such as products sold, sales trends, margins and profit, inventory and consumer behaviors. The study includes responses from more than 700 firearm retail establishments nationwide. The NSSF member price for the report is $50, a substantial discount from the nonmember price of $500. See order information.

USITC FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION DATA FOR APRIL 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 April 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.

Government Relations

SETBACK FOR HSUS EFFORT TO BAN HUNTING IN CALIFORNIA . . . Today the California Senate Appropriations Committee decided to send Assembly Bill 711 (ban on traditional ammunition) supported by the Humane Society of the United States to the suspense calendar. AB 711 would make California the first state to completely ban the use of traditional lead ammunition for hunting. Fortunately, committee members have decided they need more time to analyze the bill. The committee is not tentatively scheduled to address bills on suspense until Aug. 29. NSSF wants to thank all sportsmen for their continued efforts and to remain vigilant since this legislation will be back up in August. Senators need to continue to hear from you. Don't let HSUS win this battle.
LOUISIANA GOV. JINDAL SIGNS NSSF-BACKED FIXNICS^SM BILL INTO LAW . . . Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal last week signed six favorable gun bills into law, including one advocated by NSSF requiring certain court records be sent to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The NSSF national FixNICS initiative is gaining traction. South Carolina has enacted legislation improving state participation, while action is pending in New Jersey. FixNICS recognizes that a federal background check is only as good as the records in the database. That is why the firearms industry supports improving the current NICS system by increasing the number of prohibiting records states submit to the FBI databases, helping to prevent illegal transfers of firearms to those who are prohibited from owning firearms under current law. For more information on NSSF's FixNICS initiative, visit http://www.fixnics.org/factinfo.cfm
BIPARTISAN BILL PROMOTES PUBLIC SHOOTING RANGE, FIREARM SAFETY . . . U.S. Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) late last week introduced the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act, a bipartisan bill to assist states in opening and maintaining public shooting ranges for hunters and sportsmen and to promote firearm safety. Excise taxes already collected on sporting equipment and ammunition would be used, so the measure is deficit neutral. NSSF and many hunting and shooting organizations support the bill.
NSSF-SUPPORTED BILL ON REPORTING OF MULTIPLE LONG-GUN SALES INTRODUCED . . . U.S. Rep David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) has introduced legislation to protect federally licensed firearms retailers (FFLs) across the country from burdensome reporting requirements on the sales of multiple long guns. H.R. 2408 will prevent the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives from demanding records of sales of multiple long guns from FFLs, which is the current practice in the four Southwest border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
MAYOR BLOOMBERG'S ANTI-GUN GROUP APOLOGIZES . . . Mayors Against Illegal Guns, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun-control group, had to issue an apology last week for the inclusion of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects on a list of shooting victims' since the Newtown tragedy read during a demonstration in Concord, N.H. Tamerlan Tsarnaev "was absolutely not a victim, his name should have been deleted," said the MAIG statement. NSSF's Larry Keane has some thoughts on the topic of Mayor Bloomberg's credibility.
REGISTER FOR 12TH ANNUAL FIREARMS IMPORT/EXPORT CONFERENCE . . . To help Federal Firearms License holders stay on top of and in compliance with myriad federal laws and regulations, a joint presentation of NSSF and the FAIR Trade Group will take place Aug. 6-7 at the Renaissance Washington, DC, Downtown Hotel, 999 Ninth St., NW. Learn more and register today.

Ranges & Retailers

LAST CALL: TORNADO-RECOVERY ASSISTANCE APPLICATIONS DUE FRIDAY, JUNE 28 . . . NSSF has made available $100,000 in dedicated aid for businesses impacted by the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma and northern Texas and has extended the deadline for applying for relief to June 28. To learn more about the disaster-relief effort, read the press release issued on May 22 (with the original June 14 deadline) and download the online application for aid.
RANGE REPORT: TRAFFIC CONTROL . . . The record sales in the firearms industry are spilling over to shooting ranges across the country, where participation is at an all-time high. Managing this high demand for range use, however, presents a challenge. Read how several established ranges are meeting this demand in the feature article "Traffic Control" at RangeReport.org. There, you can read other features and departments published in the June issue, as well as articles from past editions and updated links to range-related news items. Subscribe to the now-monthly e-newsletter for shooting facilities.
SHOT BUSINESS: NEW CUSTOMERS REQUIRE NEW ATTITUDES . . . Women are a fast-growing segment of the gun-buying public; however, many retailers are having a hard time connecting with women shooters. SHOT Business Magazine Editor Slaton L. White introduces the topic in this month's editors note entitled "No Girls Allowed?" while Contributing Editor Barbara Baird reports on what it is that firearms retailers can do to ensure a positive shopping experience for female shooters in "What Women Want."

Industry News

KAHR ARMS CONSIDERS MOVING HQ FROM NEW YORK . . . Firearms manufacturer Kahr Arms is considering moving its corporate headquarters from Pearl River, N.Y., to a 620-acre business park in Pike County, Pa., that it would buy for $2 million so it can escape the unfriendly gun climate in New York, states the Pocono Record. The article reports the move would bring some 100 jobs to Pennsylvania. Company spokesman Frank Harris is quoted in the article as saying, "We were ready to sign a deal in rural Orange County, N.Y., but when the governor passed stricter gun control, it made it tough to continue on that path, so we jumped over the [bordering Delaware] river."
CONNECTICUT GUN MAKER PTR TO ANNOUNCE MOVE TO SOUTH CAROLINA . . . The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, S.C., reported last week that PTR Industries, a firearms manufacturer based in Bristol, Conn., had scheduled an afternoon event today to announce its intention to move to Horry County, S.C. The company's new location will be in Cool Springs Business Park in Aynor, S.C. The newspaper reported the company will have 140 employees. The article also stated that Mark Malkowski, CEO of Stag Arms, another Connecticut-based firearms manufacturer, is interested in the area. Both companies' discontentment comes as a result of Connecticut's recently enacted strict gun-control laws.
LIBERATORE NAMED NEW PRESIDENT/CEO OF OUTDOOR CHANNEL . . . In a press release dated June 21, Outdoor Channel announced the appointment of Jim Liberatore as president and CEO effective immediately. He replaces Tom Hornish, who will remain with the company through a transitional period. Liberatore was most recently president of SportsTime Ohio, a 24/7 regional sports network. The press release described Outdoor Channel as the "leading outdoor lifestyle cable network."

News of Note

JUNIOR OLYMPIC SHOOTING COMPETITION PRODUCES YOUNG CHAMPIONS . . . Young marksmen claimed the top spots in the recently held National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships. The event, held in Colorado Springs, produced champions in Men's and Women's Skeet & Trap and Men's Double Trap. The top-two finishers in each discipline earned spots on USA Shooting's Junior National Team. Finishers in the third to fifth slots gained appointments to the new Junior Olympic Squad. Read about all of the events, many of which were packed with drama and surprising story lines, in press releases at USA Shooting's website.

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.

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