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September 23, 2013

Vol. 14 No. 37

NSSF Launches New and Improved Website

New and Improved nssf.orgTHE NEW NSSF.ORG . . . The National Shooting Sports Foundation has launched an improved, redesigned website at www.nssf.org -- the organization's hub for providing timely news and educational materials to industry members and consumers. The new site features improved navigation, better search functionality and quick access to news and information. The site's responsive design also makes it mobile friendly for those accessing it on their smartphones. The new site is now live. NSSF invites its regular visitors and new visitors to check it out at www.nssf.org.

 

Government Relations

  • NSSF'S ROLE IS TO LEAD EFFORT TO FIXNICS . . . We know that fixing our nation's long broken mental health care delivery system won't be easy. We also know it is where common ground can be found in the always contentious debate on firearms. Those with the medical mental health credentials must take that lead. At NSSF, we are working to FixNICSSM because is the appropriate role for us based on our expertise in working on the front line to prevent firearms from being transferred to those who are prohibited under current law from having them, including the dangerously mentally ill. We are working to build coalitions of interested groups in the mental health, law enforcement and others interested in helping to improve the background check system. Read new commentary on mental health and FixNICS from NSSF's Larry Keane with several links to relevant reports and news stories.

  • POLLS SHOW WANING SUPPORT FOR MORE GUN CONTROL . . . Only 40 percent of Americans say access to firearms under our current system is the main reason for mass shooting in the country, while 48 percent say that our failed mental health system is the leading cause of these tragedies, according to a new Gallup Poll. Meanwhile, approximately six out of ten Americans surveyed by the Rasmussen organization after last Monday's tragic shooting at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard said they considered it unlikely that tougher gun-control laws would have prevented that shooting. According to Rasmussen, support for more gun control has fallen to its lowest level in more than a year with only 33 percent of Americans believing that it's at least "somewhat likely" that stricter gun-control laws would have prevented the mass shooting in Washington. A third poll, this one released last week by AP-NORC, shows that a growing number of our countrymen feel that the government is not doing a good enough job of protecting our Second Amendment rights.

  • LITTLE SUPPORT ON CAPITOL HILL FOR RENEWING GUN CONTROL DEBATE . . . There seems to be general agreement across the aisle in the U.S. Senate that the prospect of more gun-control debate leading to passage of new legislation is considered highly unlikely on Capitol Hill. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday that gun-control proponents in the Senate "don't have the votes" needed for passing any new legislation and he will not bring another bill to the floor until they do. Reid did leave open the option for a narrower measure than the "universal background check bill" that failed earlier this year, namely a standalone mental-health-related measure, but said he was not sure there would be votes for such a bill.

  • SEN. MCCAIN TO GOV. BROWN: VETO LEAD-AMMO BAN BILL . . . U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is urging California Gov. Jerry Brown to veto AB 711, saying that by signing the bill that would institute a statewide ban on the use of traditional lead ammunition in hunting ". . . you are alienating the hunting community who I view as the most influential asset in achieving our condor recovery goals." Union leaders and labor groups also urge a veto. More than a dozen gun-control measures now sit on Gov. Brown's desk, awaiting possible signature, but as the San Francisco Chronicle points out, he has remained quiet on whether he will sign all or some of those bills into law. The NSSF's Jake McGuigan explained that NSSF would like to see the state focus on how to treat those with mental illness rather than enact more gun laws. NSSF continues to urge all California sportsmen, gun owners and retailers to contact the governor and urge him to veto these bills. See the NSSF Legislative Alert.

Infographic

  • Infographic illustrates economic impact of huntingHUNTING IN AMERICA: BIG BUCKS, BIG ECONOMIC IMPACT . . . Did you know that the $38.3 billion economic impact of hunting in 2011 was more than Google's annual revenue? Hunting has a huge impact on the American economy. This infographic provides a look at just how big that impact is.

     

Ranges/Retailers

  • OPTIONS & INNOVATIONS: FIRST SHOTS AND SECOND ROUND ON THE RANGE REPORT WEBSITE . . . See how ranges across the country are implementing the proven introductory and follow-up First Shots and First Shots Second Round programs to build the ranks of shooters—and customer/members. You can find the complete article, by Carolee Anita Boyles, on The Range Report website.

  • Research materials availble for Premium Retailer MembersRESEARCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE TO NSSF PREMIUM RETAILER MEMBERS . . . NSSF reports that upgrading to its new Premium Retailer Membership entitles members in that category to receive free copies of the Industry Reference Guide ($75 to general members, $750 to nonmembers), the Financial Benchmarking Report ($250 to general members, $2,500 to nonmembers) and the Firearms Retailer Survey ($50 to general members, $500 to nonmembers). Those critical industry intelligence documents would cost general members $375, and they represent only a portion of the free materials available to Premium Retailer Members. "by utilizing all the data contained in market conditions, production figures, sales trends, product margins, consumer behavior and productivity measures, you can truly turn your business into a premium retail operation," said Patrick Shay, NSSF director, retail development.
    Learn more about Premium Retailer Membership.

Research

  • NEWEST SURVEY TRACKER AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS . . . The NSSF Survey Tracker is a monitoring service using an online panel of active hunters and target shooters. Sourced by Southwick Associates' online panel at HunterSurvey.com, each report features: Market Snapshot—purchases made in the past two months; Market Leaders—the top brands purchased in different retail categories; and Question of the Month—insight into opinions and attitudes of today's recreational hunters and target shooters. This edition posts Market Leaders for Scopes and shows responses to a question on what influences brand purchase. NSSF members may view, in addition to this latest edition, historical survey trackers by logging on to www.nssf.org/members and clicking on "NSSF Industry Research" and then on "Survey Tracker.

  • REPORT SHOWS SIZE OF RECREATIONAL SHOOTING MARKET . . . Recently released by Southwick Associates, a leading market research firm for the outdoor industry, was the 2012 Size of Recreational Shooting Market Report. This report, which is vital for organizations and businesses that serve the nation's millions of recreational shooters, details the total retail dollars associated with the recreational shooting market. For more about this report read Southwick's press release.

Project ChildSafe

  • NATIONAL POLL: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT RENEWED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PROJECT CHILDSAFE . . . A national poll conducted by Toluna Group on behalf of NSSF finds an overwhelming majority of Americans, irrespective of party lines, gender or gun ownership, support NSSF's Project ChildSafe firearm safety program. The survey found 77 percent of adults have a favorable view of the program, and more than seven-in-ten support restoring federal funding to help Project ChildSafe provide free firearm safety kits, which include a gun lock, to the public. The program works with more than 15,000 law enforcement departments across the country to provide the safety kits free of charge. Read more.

News of Note

  • National Hunting and Fishing DayNATIONAL HUNTING & FISHING DAY . . . Hunters and shooters — along with the firearms and ammunition industry — are among the leading financial contributors to conservation in America, paying for programs that benefit our nation and all its wildlife. Saturday, Sept. 28, is National Hunting and Fishing Day, a day to honor and celebrate the contributions of sportsmen and women. Across the country this weekend Americans will celebrate by attending events, by teaching others about the efforts of sportsmen or simply by enjoying the outdoor traditions they love with the ones they love. Learn more about NHF Day and many events planned around the country this weekend at nhfday.org or on the Facebook page.

  • NSSF DONATES $150,000 TO NAWCA GRANT PROGRAM . . . NSSF has contributed $150,000 to supplement Congressional funding of the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA), a grant program providing federal cost-share funding to support the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. This year's payment is part of a five-year NSSF initiative that is providing $750,000 to support wetlands conservation and migratory bird habitat in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

  • GATORS HOST THEIR FIRST SCHOLASTIC PISTOL PROGRAM REGIONAL . . . The University of Florida Pistol Team played host to the first Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) regional held in Florida. Nine squads from the Panhandle to the Space Coast competed in all three division of SPP. The Scholastic Clay Target Program and SPP are youth development programs originally developed by NSSF, where adult coaches and volunteers model sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity and teamwork while using shooting sports programs to teach these and other positive skills to the participating athletes. 

  • VIZZI DANCES HER WAY TO WORLD SILVER MEDAL IN SKEET . . . Dania Vizzi of Odessa, Fla., passed up enrollment in the prestigious Juilliard Dance Intensive in New York City to concentrate, instead, on her shooting development. That choice was rewarded when the freshman at the University of Florida landed the first Team USA medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Championship in Lima, Peru. The 18-year-old captured the silver medal in the Women's Junior Skeet competition. In all, 30 members of Team USA would compete in the championships.

  • Click for full-size imageNSSF AT OWAA 86th ANNUAL CONFERENCE . . . At the recent Outdoor Writers Association of America Annual Conference, held in conjunction with the New York State Outdoor Writers Association in Lake Placid, N.Y., NSSF discussed three of its major programs that deter unauthorized access to firearms—FixNICS, Don't Lie for the Other Guy and Project ChildSafe—with more than 300 attendees. NSSF sponsored the luncheon at Shooting Day and also participated in a seminar that provided an overview of writing about firearms (terminology, research and issues) and encouraged the use of its Writer's Guide to Firearms and Ammunition. OWAA also announced the winners of its 2013 Excellence in Craft Awards, as did NYSOWA.

NSSF Industry Summit

  • CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS . . . NSSF has issued a call for presentations for breakout sessions at its 2014 NSSF Industry Summit, scheduled for June 9-11, 2014, in Springfield, Mass. The summit traditionally attracts leaders from the firearms and shooting sports industry, shooting range operators, firearms retailers and members of the conservation community and state wildlife agencies. Previous summits have sown the seeds of many successful programs that have increased participation in hunting and the shooting sports. Read more about the summit and this call for presentations.

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.


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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