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December 1, 2014

Vol. 15 No. 47

Black Friday Highest Ever for NICS

SECOND HIGHEST DAY IN NICS HISTORY . . . The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reports that it processed 175,754 transactions on Nov. 28, Black Friday, making the day the highest Black Friday ever and the second highest day in NICS history. That means an average of three transactions were being processed every second, triple the normal daily volume. The highest day ever was Dec. 21, 2012 with 177,170 background checks. In a very welcome development, 74.66% of the federal checks were conducted via the E-Check, a secure internet connection, the highest total ever. NSSF has been encouraging retailers to use E-Check in order to get much faster approvals for their customers. Watch a CNN video on Black Friday firearms sales.

  • NOVEMBER SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD . . . The November 2014 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,329,688 is the second highest November (following November 2012) on record for the 16-year-old system, with an increase of 1.7 percent compared to the November 2013 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,308,100. For comparison, the unadjusted November 2014 NICS figure of 1,797,163 reflects a 0.5 percent decrease from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,805,759 in November 2013. To learn more about last month's NICS report, log in to the member side of nssf.org.

SHOT Show

  • HOTEL ROOMS GOING FAST. FIND DEALS THROUGH OFFICIAL HOTEL PROVIDER . . . Hotel rooms in Las Vegas are going quickly for the week of the SHOT Show. There are many affordable hotel options still available through the show's official hotel provider, onPeak. Due to multiple trade shows taking place at the same time, rooms across Las Vegas are in exceptional demand during this year's SHOT Show. If you haven't already registered for the show and made room reservations, now is the time. Book your rooms through shotshow.org/travel.

  • EXPAND YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF INDUSTRY MARKET RESEARCH DURING SHOT SHOW . . . NSSF is offering two "Market Research 101" seminars during the 2015 SHOT Show. Each seminar will cover current and historical industry indicator figures and trends. Topics include NICS, excise taxes, hunting license sales, firearm production and imports along with the most current consumer research, sentiment and buying trends to improve your knowledge and allow you to make better informed business decisions in 2015. Attendees will receive a flash drive with the latest industry research. For additional information on these informative seminars, click here.

  • TWO MORE SPEAKERS ADDED TO SHOT SHOW UNIVERSITY LINEUP . . . NSSF has added well-known firearms retailing veterans Doug VanderWoude and Miles Hall to the Drive Your Sales Lineup as the featured speakers for the all-important Power Promotions session. In this session, VanderWoude and Hall will show retailers how to drive sales and increase margins and turns with a number of unique promotional ideas that the pair have developed over their combined 60-plus years of experience in the firearms industry. Read the full blog post. To learn more about SHOT Show University and its many sessions, click here.

Read the SHOT Show Blog for all of the latest SHOT Show news.

Industry News

  • SMITH & WESSON TO ACQUIRE BATTENFELD TECHNOLOGIES . . . Smith & Wesson announced Wednesday that it will acquire Battenfeld Technologies in a $130.5 million deal. The acquisition is expected to close this month. Based in a 145,000 square foot facility in Columbia, Missouri, Battenfeld Technologies develops and sells shooting, reloading, gunsmithing and gun cleaning supplies under several popular, premium brands, including Caldwell Shooting Supplies, Wheeler Engineering, Tipton Gun Cleaning Supplies and Lockdown Vault Accessories.

  • MAGPUL WILL BE OUT OF COLORADO COMPLETELY IN EARLY 2015 . . . Ammunition magazine manufacturer Magpul Industries Corp. has purchased a West Austin, Texas, office building to relocate its corporate headquarters from Colorado. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is credited with attracting the company to Austin after Magpul's executives said they would move from Colorado when more restrictive gun laws were passed there in 2013. Magpul is moving manufacturing operations to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Government Relations

  • N.J. ATTORNEY GENERAL: PISTOL DOES NOT START 'SMART GUN' CLOCK . . . The New Jersey Attorney General's office has issued an opinion that the Armatix iP1 handgun does not start the clock on that state's so-called "smart gun" law. To quote from the report: "After careful consideration of the iP1's design, we have determined that it does not satisfy the statutory definition because, as a matter of design, the pistol may be fired by a person who is not an authorized or recognized user. That is, as long as the pistol is situated within 10 inches of the enabling wristwatch, it may be fired by anyone — the authorized user or any other person who is able to pull the trigger. While the system does incorporate a PIN code or a timer to disable the handgun, when the weapon is enabled, there is nothing in the technology which automatically limits its operational use so that it may only be fired by an authorized or recognized user (so long as the pistol is within a 10-inch proximity to the wristwatch component)." Read the opinion.

  • NSSF ASKS FOR MORE TIME ON CALIF. LEAD AMMO BAN IMPLEMENTATION . . . A decision could come this week to move ahead with regulations to implement AB711, the California law outlawing the use of traditional lead component ammunition in hunting. NSSF continues to urge the California Fish and Game Commission to allow the industry time to develop more alternatives and increase the supply of non-traditional ammunition, rather than continue on the current fast-track path. Read NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane's recent letter to the commission. NSSF is closely monitoring activities in Sacramento and will continue to keep you informed.

  • HUNTING WORKS FOR AMERICA . . . Two state chapters of NSSF's Hunting Works for America program were cited in recent news stories as resources for factual information on hunting issues and for data on the importance of hunting to America's economy. In response to a misleading article on traditional ammunition in the Ames (Iowa) Tribune, a letter writer correctly pointed out that traditional ammunition containing lead components has not negatively impacted bald eagle populations nor does consuming game taken with such ammunition pose a health risk to humans. The writer pointed to the Hunting Works for Iowa website for additional factual resources. At a regional meeting, representatives of Hunting Works for Pennysylvania discussed with area business owners the economic importance of hunting to the state and region.

Ranges

  • NEW YORK TIMES TAKES NOTE OF NEWER RANGES AND THEIR AMENITIES . . . NSSF's Five Star rating system for shooting ranges merited discussion in a recent New York Times story that explored the customer experience at such facilities with "upmarket appeal" as the Centennial Gun Club in Colorado and the Scottsdale Gun Club in Arizona. Zach Snow, NSSF's Manager of Shooting Promotions, explained that the new business model employed by such clubs demonstrates the growing interest in the sport, including among new shooters. Read the New York Times article.

Members

  • DID YOU KNOW? . . . Professional burglary, particularly smash-and-grab theft, is one of the most serious threats firearm retailers face today. NSSF's partnership with a commercial burglary prevention firm provides special custom-pricing on a crime-deterrence solution that makes it more difficult for criminals to steal. Learn more about this NSSF member benefit.

Research

  • WEBINAR DISCUSSING THE SHOOTING SPORTS INDUSTRY FOR 2015 . . . On Thursday, Dec. 4 from noon-1 p.m. CST, NSSF Director of Research and Analysis Jim Curcuruto will be a participating in a National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers webinar entitled "Planning Demand and Building a Sales Strategy for the Shooting Sports Industry." The webinar will consist of a roundtable discussion on current market conditions and an outlook for 2015. Other panelists slated for this webinar include industry professionals from SIG Sauer, Kahr Firearms Group, International Firearms Consultants, H&H Shooting Sports Complex and Bill Hicks & Co. For additional information on this event, click here.

Retailers

  • SHOT SHOW UNIVERSITY FILLING UP FAST . . . Tickets are selling quickly and the number of seats are dwindling for the 2015 SHOT Show University. Sign up today to secure your spot at this highly recommended event that includes keynote addresses by Afterburner, Inc., on its management processes of Flawless Business Execution, Dr. Linda Talley on the "Four Lessons of Leadership for Specialty Store Retailing" plus sessions on ATF compliance, cash flow management, power promotions, store layout, store security and best hiring practices — everything geared for the independent firearms retailer to succeed. Learn more and sign up.

  • ATF Q&A . . . We've received several great questions this past week on the NSSF Compliance Hotline, including a couple questions we've been asked before. The first question relates to what documents active duty military personnel need to present to establish their state of residency. The second question relates to the process involved with having a family member pick up a firearm left for repair. Click on the links to get the answers to these and other great questions that we've received. Remember that the NSSF Compliance Hotline is provided solely for our members and is just one of the many great benefits NSSF Membership offers. View more information about joining NSSF at nssf.org/join.

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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