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February 10, 2014

Vol. 15 No. 5

SHARE Act Backed by NSSF Passes U.S. House

http://nssf.org/share/images/Capitol_150.jpgThe U.S. House of Representatives by an overwhelming 268-154 vote last Wednesday passed the bipartisan Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. This was a big win. As NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane noted, "The SHARE Act will help ensure that our nation's outdoor traditions are preserved, protected and promoted." See NSSF's press release. Key legislative priorities in the legislation include provisions to protect the use of traditional ammunition and fishing tackle, greater flexibility for states to use Pittman-Robertson funds to create and enhance public shooting ranges and greater access to federal lands. The act permanently authorizes the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee to advise the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting and recreational shooting. Now, attention turns to the Senate, where the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act, S. 1996, was introduced by Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and were joined by 10 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. As was the case for the House legislation, an impressive list of sportsmen's groups supports S. 1996 including NSSF, the Boone and Crockett Club, Safari Club International, the Mule Deer Foundation and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. NSSF urges sportsmen, shooters and members of the firearms and ammunition industry to contact your Senators to urge passage.

Government Relations

  • AMERICANS' SUPPORT FOR MORE GUN CONTROL DROPS . . . A fascinating new Gallup poll shows that the percentage of Americans favoring stricter gun laws fell 7 points in 2014, from 38 to 31 percent. The country's overall dissatisfaction with U.S. gun laws and policies has increased to 55 percent this year, up from 51 percent in 2013. That increase stemmed largely from the 16 percent of Americans who say that gun laws are too strict, more than triple the 5 percent recorded by Gallup last year. "Americans have become more dissatisfied with gun laws over the past year, but this is attributable to a greater percentage who say gun laws are too strict, rather than not being strict enough," the poll concluded. "Americans' changing views could set the course for future gun law debates and legislation."

  • NSSF, NRA, SCI JOIN IN SUIT TO PROTECT RIGHTS OF HUNTERS, SHOOTERS . . . NSSF, the NRA and Safari Club International have joined together to ask a federal appeals court to uphold the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and fringe anti-hunting groups against the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) seeking to ban the use of traditional ammunition containing lead components on USFS-managed public land. A lower court previously threw out the lawsuit because the claims raised were not "redressable" and the groups lacked standing to make them. The NSSF, the NRA and SCI filed separate amicus briefs in that case. Under the absurd theory espoused by the CBD and its anti-hunting allies, using traditional ammunition to hunt or target shoot constitutes a "disposal" of a "hazardous waste" in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). NSSF is intervening in the present case to defend the interests of the firearms and ammunition industry and to protect the rights of hunters and target shooters to use their choice of ammunition. Read the Amici Curiae Brief. Learn more about traditional ammunition.

  • Sutton: "No comment."

    NSSF ASKS AGAIN FOR ANSWER ON CALIF. F&G COMMISSIONER'S CONFLICT . . . The National Shooting Sports Foundation's ongoing effort to have California Attorney General Kamala Harris act on our official complaint concerning Fish and Game Commission President Mike Sutton's involvement in implementing the state's new ban on traditional lead ammunition in hunting has received the attention of a leading state political blog. Sutton is former executive director of Audubon California and remains in the employ of the National Audubon Society as vice president for the "Pacific Flyway." NSSF's representative in Sacramento brought the issue to the commission last week. See the response yourself.

  • UPSTATE NEW YORK MAYOR SENDS BRONX CHEER TO BLOOMBERG GROUP . . . The mayor of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., has penned an op-ed essay in a regional newspaper on why he left the Mayors Against Illegal Guns organization started and funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He's one of 50 mayors who have done so. As Mayor John Tkazyic tells it, "MAIG became a vehicle for Bloomberg to promote his personal gun-control agenda -- violating the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and taking resources away from initiatives that could actually work to protect our neighborhoods and save precious lives." Read his op-ed.

  • SUNDAY HUNTING IN VIRGINIA PASSES ANOTHER HURDLE: KEEP THE PRESSURE ON . . . The NSSF-led Sunday Hunting Coalition of sportsmen's groups, industry leaders and Virginia businesses is urging supporters to keep the pressure on toward repeal of the commonwealth's longstanding ban on Sunday hunting. Although the State Senate today approved its own version of legislation to approve Sunday hunting on private lands with the owner's permission, senators will need to approve another bill passed earlier by the House of Delegates. That vote in the Senate could come later this week. This is the bill that would then go to the governor to be signed into law. Virginia residents should contact their state senator to ensure that Sunday hunting becomes law in Mr. Jefferson's state. Take Action.

  • UTAH, HAWAII ADVANCE FAMILIES AFIELD LEGISLATION . . . Legislation has been introduced into two state legislatures that would further the Families Afield initiative, which strives to break down barriers that prevent young people from hunting with their parents or other qualified adult mentors and in other ways increases recruitment of new hunters. In Utah, SB 165, legislation introduced by state Senate Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund, would allow a first-time hunter 12 or older to hunt with a mentor before taking a hunter education class. In Hawaii, House Bill 1905, sponsored by Rep. Cynthia Evans, would similarly allow a mentored newcomer to try hunting prior to completion of a hunter education course, though certain restrictions would apply to youth 10 and younger. Read more about the Utah and Hawaii legislation.

  • EPA, SEN. BEGICH OPPOSE PROPOSED PEBBLE MINE . . . The federal Environmental Protection Agency's watershed assessment has concluded that opening the gold and copper Pebble Mine poses significant risks to Bristol Bay's salmon populations. Concerns from the firearms industry and wildlife managers regarding adverse effects on wildlife in the area as a result of the mine have also long been expressed. The assessment does not define policy, but will be considered in future government actions. Following the EPA announcement, Alaska's U.S. Sen. Mark Begich issued his own statement in opposition to the proposed mine.

  • ATF EXTENDING TERM OF IMPORT PERMITS TO TWO YEARS . . . The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Friday published a new Final Rule that, effective April 8, 2014, extends the standard term of import permits for firearms, ammunition and defense articles from one year to two years.  The additional time will allow importers sufficient time to complete the importation of the authorized commodity. In addition, it will eliminate the need for the importer to submit a new import application, ATF Form 6, where the importation was not completed within the one-year period. NSSF supported this change because it will significantly benefit both ATF and U.S. importers without reducing ATF's ability to administer the 27 CFR part 447 regulations and to ensure that importers are in compliance with the law.

Industry News

  • ARMALITE, INC. ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT . . . Tommy Thacker, a firearms industry veteran, has been appointed to the corporate presidency of ArmaLite. Thacker brings nearly 20 years of top-level management, sales and firearms experience to the company. Prior to joining ArmaLite, he served as Director, Product Management, for FNH USA, where he supervised the law enforcement and commercial product team responsible for testing, qualifying and launching firearm lines including the SCAR 16S, SCAR 17S, FNX pistols and the complete line of FNS pistols. Read ArmaLite's announcement.

Retailers / Ranges

  • RANGE REPORT FEATURE FOCUSES ON ATTRACTING AND KEEPING NEW CUSTOMERS . . . Shooting range operators provide valuable advice, based on successful personal experience, on how they welcome new customers and make sure they come back in David Hart's Range Report feature, The Welcome Mat. Learn from the insights offered by representatives of three of NSSF's Five Star-rated shooting facilities.

NSSF Research

  • UPDATED NSSF INDUSTRY REFERENCE GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE . . . The 2013-2014 Industry Reference Guide, compiled by NSSF, contains more than 170 pages of valuable firearms and ammunition industry data, as well as hunting and shooting sports-related data. This new edition includes updates to all of the most-frequently referenced historical trend data for leading industry indicators: NICS, excise tax, firearm-production data, firearm imports and exports, and hunting-license sales. Participation data and demographics; safety statistics; Federal Firearms License figures; concealed carry holder estimates; economic contributions and economic impact data are included, as well as the addition of several new topics of interest. The guide offers an easy-to-read design and layout, complete with "live links" from the PDF version's table of contents. Click here for a preview of the Table of Contents and ordering information.

  • JANUARY ADJUSTED NICS BACKGROUND CHECKS SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR MONTH . . . The January 2014 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 970,510 is the second highest January on record for the system, even with a decrease of 45.8 percent compared to the January 2013 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,790,154. For comparison, the unadjusted January 2014 NICS figure of 1,650,565 reflects a 33.5 percent decrease from the unadjusted NICS figure of 2,483,230 in January 2013. Read more.

News of Note

  • VOTE FOR U.S. BIATHLETE FOR INSPIRATION AWARD . . . For giving up her spot on the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team so that her identical twin sister could compete in Sochi, Tracy Barnes is a candidate for an Inspiration Award being sponsored by O.C. Tanner, the company that makes and donates rings to all U.S. athletes competing at the Winter Games. Thanks to Tracy's amazing sacrifice, Lanny Barnes, who missed qualifying races due to illness, hopes to capture the first-ever U.S. medal in biathlon. Read more about the Barnes sisters and add your vote for Tracy for the Inspiration Award.

  • LASERLYTE BECOMES SPONSOR OF FIRST SHOTS . . . LaserLyte, innovator in firearm laser technology, has donated more than $20,000 of retail product to NSSF's First Shots program, including the company's Trigger Tyme Pistols, Laser Training Targets and Training Lasers. "It is our honor and privilege to participate in such a vital program for new shooters," said Aaron Moore, Vice President of LaserLyte. "Our products with the support of the First Shots program will introduce thousands of new shooters to our industry." Read the press release.

  • HANNIBAL BOLTON'S LEADERSHIP RECOGNIZED . . . The recent issue of Diversity Journal profiles Hannibal Bolton, Assistant Director, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, highlighting his leadership skills and his stature as a role model. In the article, Bolton stresses the importance of being committed to community service and of supporting and mentoring youth. "After a young man is helped, there is an expectation that he will reach back and help future generations," said Bolton, who is widely known in the conservation and hunting communities. Last year, USFWS earned the top award in Diversity Journal's Innovation in Diversity Awards.

  • SHED HUNTING PUT IN SPOTLIGHT . . . The popularity of searching for antlers shed by bucks in the winter is increasingly becoming a facet of the hunting industry, as new products, including training aids for dogs, come on the market. Whitetail Properties Real Estate and other outdoor industry companies are now calling on hunters to participate in the first-ever #ShedRally, "the world's largest shed hunt." It calls for sportsmen and women from around the country to set out on Saturday, March 1, to search for sheds and photograph their experiences and trophies and communicate them via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the #ShedRally hashtag. Prizes will be awarded. Learn more in a YouTube video.

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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