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September 15, 2014

Vol. 15 No. 36

Attendee Registration Now Open for 2015 SHOT Show

http://nssf.org/share/images/Capitol_150.jpg4 MONTHS AWAY . . . Registration for the National Shooting Sports Foundation's 2015 SHOT Show is now open for all attendees. Believe it or not, the show — Jan. 20-23 in Las Vegas — is just four months away. While registering, attendees can easily add State of the Industry Dinner tickets, enroll in SHOT Show University and sign up for other educational offerings. Registration for members of the press will open later this week. Register now at shotshow.org.

    SHOT Show

  • INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PROGRAM WEBINAR . . . For the second year in a row, NSSF is working with the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Business Program (IBP) to offer two unique programs to our U.S. exhibitors attending the SHOT Show. These two programs focus on networking and enhancing business opportunities between U.S. suppliers exhibiting at the SHOT Show and international buyers. To encourage interested exhibitors in participating, the NSSF, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, is holding an informational webinar, Sept. 23, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. This webinar is free to U.S.-based SHOT Show exhibitors. Webinar information will cover both IBP programs. For more information on the IBP SHOT Show events, or to register for the free webinar, please visit the Services for U.S. Exhibitors page at shotshow.org.

  • http://nssf.org/share/images/Capitol_150.jpgBOOST SHOW TRAFFIC WITH A SHOT SHOW DIRECTORY SPONSORSHIP . . . It's the one item you see in literally every SHOT Show attendee's hand: the SHOT Show Directory and Buyers' Guide. Not only is it the No. 1 show resource for getting everyone walking the floor to where they want to go, with a shelf-life of 12 months, it's also the leading after-show resource for manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, range operators and industry media professionals. SHOT Show Directory & Buyers' Guide sponsorship is an invaluable way to put your company front and center in the eyes of every person who attends the SHOT Show. Premium sponsorship opportunities can sell out quickly, so exhibitors looking to maximize their advertising and show dollars are encouraged to research the available options and make their decisions now. Read more about directory sponsorship opportunities.

    Government Relations

  • NSSF President Steve Sanetti, left, and Jeff Reh, NSSF Board of Governors Co-Vice Chairman and Beretta USA General Counsel and Vice General Manager, officially open NSSF's new Washington, D.C., office.

    NSSF OPENS NEW WASHINGTON OFFICE . . . NSSF last week formally opened a new Government Relations office in Washington, D.C. In attendance were NSSF Board of Governors members Joe Bartozzi, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, O.F. Mossberg & Sons; Mark Emonet, Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Lipsey's; and Jeff Reh, Beretta USA Co- Vice Chairman, General Counsel and Vice General Manager. U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, also attended, as did several other industry members, representatives of hunting and sportsmen's organizations, and many who work with NSSF in our nation's capital on behalf of those who enjoy the shooting sports. "The challenges we face as well as the positive opportunities that lie ahead require an enhanced and sustained presence in our nation's capital," said Larry Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. "We are adding professional staff to our Washington-based Government Relations office in order to better serve our members in our mission to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports."

  • NSSF TO TESTIFY BEFORE CALIF. WILDLIFE RESOURCE PANEL ON LEAD AMMO BAN . . . NSSF's Larry Keane on Wednesday will be presenting the economic impact of the ban on the use of traditional lead ammunition in hunting before a public hearing of the Wildlife Resource Committee of the California Fish and Game Commission. Keane and Rob Southwick of Southwick Associates will discuss the economic impact of the now-enacted Assembly Bill 711 on hunters, retailers and manufacturers as well as the effect on the State of California. The Fish and Game Commission is gathering information to develop regulations to implement AB 711. The hearing is begins at 9 a.m. at the Department of Consumer Affairs hearing room, 1747 North Market Boulevard, Sacramento. NSSF will have more to report on this vitally important issue on Wednesday.

  • NSSF MEMBER COMPANIES HELP GET OUT THE #GUNVOTE MESSAGE . . . Several NSSF member companies are helping to get out the word about #GUNVOTE, NSSF's voter education and information initiative, by displaying the #GUNVOTE button on their websites and other materials. We could use your help, as well. 2014 is a crucial Congressional mid-term and gubernatorial election year. We are encouraging all industry members to download the #GUNVOTE button and use it in print publications, on your website, blog and social media platforms to get your customers engaged. We are pleased to extend a special thanks to those NSSF companies already displaying the #GUNVOTE button: Colt's Manufacturing Co., Hornady Manufacturing Co., O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Smith & Wesson Firearms, Sturm Ruger and Co., Taurus Holdings, Trulock Tool and Volquartsen Custom.

  • THANK YOU TO OUR LATEST NSSF PAC CONTRIBUTORS
    • President's Club ($5,000): No new contributors to report
    • Cabinet Club ($2,500 or more): No new contributors to report
    • Capitol Club ($1,000 or more):Owen Brown, Sandy Chisholm and Jeff Reh
    • Congressional Club ($250 or more): Pat O'Malley, Steven Rowley, Stephen Sardelli and Christopher Sausman
    • Industry Club (up to $249): Jerry Bridges, Troy Clopton, George Trulock Jr. and Seth Waugh

For more Government Relations news, read NSSF's latest Government Relations Update.

NICS

  • NICS REPORTS PROBLEM-FREE WEEKEND . . . The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is reporting today that the system has been up since Friday and operated through the weekend with no known outages. As NSSF previously reported, the outages experienced last week have been tied to the deployment of the Next Generation Identification (NGI) which replaces the legacy Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). These problems have impacted the Interstate Identification Index (III) which is a database within the NGI. The III is one of three databases searched with every NICS transaction. When the III does not respond to the NICS queries, the NICS must be taken out of service as a complete check cannot be conducted. When the system is taken out of service, it impacts both the telephone call received (NICS Contracted Call Centers) and Internet checks conducted (NICS E-Check).

Project ChildSafe

  • REAGAN AIRPORT'S PROJECT CHILDSAFE AD BAN DRAWS NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION . . . The Fox News Channel and several Fox affiliates have reported on the decision by the management of Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport to turn down Project ChildSafe "Own It? Respect it. Secure it." public service ads. Watch the Fox News story. Five other airports have accepted or already displayed the ads—Hartford-Springfield, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Providence and St. Louis. For more background read this NSSF blog post.

  • CONN. STATE POLICE, NSSF PROMOTE FIREARM SAFETY . . . Connecticut State Police and NSSF are using New England's regional fall fair, the Big E, to encourage firearm owners to securely store their firearms when not in use to help prevent accidents, misuse and theft. Through NSSF's Project ChildSafe program, state police will distribute free gun locks, safety literature and child safety pledges in the Connecticut Building on The Big E fairgrounds in West Springfield, Mass., Sept.12-28, while supplies last."Our goal is to remind gun owners to take steps to keep firearms from falling into the wrong hands," said Lt. Paul Vance, Connecticut State Police public information officer. "We'll also be reminding Connecticut gun owners about laws requiring locked storage of firearms in their homes." Read the NSSF press release.

Members

  • DID YOU KNOW? . . . A long list of range consultants and suppliers is available to NSSF range members to ensure ranges can meet safety regulations and maximum profitability. This valuable benefit can be used for a variety of needs, including marketing, noise regulations, lead recovery and recycling, shooting equipment and much more. View the full list of consultants and suppliers offered by NSSF and more at nssf.org/ranges.

Research

  • USITC FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION DATA FOR JULY 2014 . . . 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 July import and export data. NSSF members can access additional historical import and export data by logging in and clicking NSSF Industry Research.

Ranges

  • SPORTSMAN'S ELITE EARNS NSSF FIVE STAR RANGE RATING . . . Congratulations are in order for Sportsman's Elite, the most recent recipient of NSSF's prestigious Five Star range rating. Located in El Paso, Texas, Sportsman's Elite offers numerous amenities for beginner and experienced shooters. The climate controlled facility is equipped with Automated Target Retrieval Systems, advanced Bullet Trap technology and state-of-the-art Ventilation and Air Filtration to fully ensure the safety, convenience and comfort of every shooter. The facilty also offers a full-line Pro Shop, firearm training, and firearm rental. For more information on the criteria for NSSF's Five Star range rating, click here.

  • ARKANSAS YOUTH SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAM MOVES TO THE STATE'S LARGEST TRAP SHOOTING FACILITY . . . The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program provides youth from all backgrounds the chance to learn how much fun clay target shooting can be. The program has grown to more than 800 volunteer coaches for some 6,000 students, prompting the program to relocate its regional and state tournaments. To do that, the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation entered into an agreement with the city of Jacksonville to create the largest trap shooting facility in the state. A clubhouse, fishing lake and state-of-the-art, 100-seat classroom are also planned. For more information on the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program, contact State Program Coordinator Chuck Woodson at 501-230-4738 or jdwoodson@agfc.state.ar.us.

Rimfire Challenge

  • AMMO ROUNDUP PROGRAM IN FULL OPERATION . . . NSSF is pleased to announce that the Ammo Roundup Program component of the Rimfire Challenge is fully operational and available immediately for ammunition ordering by range operators and match directors. The Rimfire Challenge focuses on competition with .22-caliber rifles and pistols and was designed to introduce new shooters to the shooting sports. Supporting these matches and new competitors is the Rimfire Challenge Ammo Roundup. View the full press release.

  • JOSEPH CHIARELLO & CO., INC. PARTNERS WITH NSSF AS SILVER SPONSOR RIMFIRE CHALLENGE . . . Dedicated to providing extraordinary insurance options for the firearms industry, Joseph Chiarello & Co., Inc., is throwing its support to the NSSF Rimfire Challenge as a Silver Sponsor. Endorsed by the NSSF, Joseph Chiarello & Co., Inc., has been in business for 80 years and specializes in providing commercial general liability and property insurance to a wide range of firearms industry businesses, such as retailers, wholesalers, gunsmiths, accessory and ammunition manufacturers, shooting ranges, gun manufacturers, hunting and shooting clubs, and importers and exporters. View the full press release.

Retailers

  • 5 NEED TO KNOW RETAILING FINANCIAL CONCEPTS . . . While you don't have to be an accountant to be a retailer, it doesn't hurt to have an understanding of some key financial tools. These are some of the most important to keep in mind: cost of goods sold, inventory turn rate, markup versus margin, gross margin return on investment and expenses as a percentage of sales. To learn about these concepts, view William F. Kendy's latest retailers blog post.

  • CABELA'S, NSSF PARTNER ON ANTI-STRAW PURCHASE MESSAGING . . . Cabela's Incorporated is partnering with NSSF to help prevent illegal "straw" purchases of firearms by bringing increased attention to the Don't Lie for the Other Guy program. "Don't Lie" was formed as a cooperative program between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and NSSF 12 years ago to help ATF educate federal firearms licensees to be better able to identify and prevent illegal straw purchases of firearms and to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the crime of purchasing a firearm for someone who cannot legally do so. Cabela's stores display Don't Lie for the Other Guy point-of-purchase displays and use a program video and printed material to help train employees to better detect and deter straw purchases. Starting this fall, the retailer is adding informational mouse pads and an educational card at all of its 250 computer kiosks where each customer seeking to purchase firearms must electronically complete the ATF Form 4473. The messaging on program materials explains that anyone attempting an illegal firearm purchase faces a stiff federal felony penalty of up to 10 years in jail or up to $250,000 in fines.

  • ATF Q&A . . . More great questions from our NSSF retailer members. The first question concerning what information should be entered into the A&D book under the "Type" heading for type of firearm.  The second question concerns a NICS exception for law enforcement personnel. Get the answers to this week's questions and others.

News of Note

  • BIG DAY FOR USA SHOOTING . . . USA Shooting's Josh Richmond won a gold medal in Double Trap and Ian Rupert finished as the silver medalist among all juniors on Sunday at the 2014 World Shooting Championship. They highlighted a big day for the USA Shooting Team, which garnered five medals and also boasted a Junior Women's Air Rifle finalist. Richmond, of Hillsgrove, Pennsylvania, broke his last 106 targets to win his second World Championship title and earn the USA Shooting Team's first Olympic quota spot. For Rupert, only one target in the final separated him from the gold medal. Read more.

Jobs

  • FIREARMS INDUSTRY JOBS . . . Visit 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 © 2014 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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