Gary Bangs, Former ATF Director of Industry Operations, Joins NSSF’s FFL Compliance Consulting Team

To: ALL MEDIA
For immediate release

May 7, 2015

For more information contact:

Bill Brassard
203-426-1320

Gary Bangs, Former ATF Director of Industry Operations, Joins NSSF’s FFL Compliance Consulting Team

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) is pleased to announce that former ATF Director of Industry Operations Gary Bangs has agreed to join the organization as a member of its retail FFL Compliance Consulting Team.

Bangs began his career with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1987 as an inspector working the northern areas of that state and Indiana. After 10 years he was promoted to a Firearms Specialist position at ATF Headquarters in the Firearms Programs Division, where he worked on national programs and initiatives and answered questions from industry and the public pertaining to federal firearms laws. During this time he worked closely with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, helping to establish the organization’s greater involvement with retail firearms operations, including promotion of its “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” campaign, the nationally recognized program aimed at educating retailers and the public about “straw purchases,” their prevention and legal consequences.

In 2000, Bangs transferred to the Seattle Field Division as its Area Supervisor, and in 2002 he spent six months acting as Director of Industry Operations (DIO). During that time he managed industry-related issues and compliance inspections throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Marianas Islands. In 2003 he returned to ATF Headquarters where he continued to manage various firearms and explosives programs. Bangs transferred back to field work as DIO of the Washington and Baltimore Field Divisions in 2009, overseeing industry inspections in the states of Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and part of West Virginia until his retirement from ATF on February 28, 2015.

“Gary Bangs brings a wealth of compliance experience with him in joining NSSF’s team of FFL Compliance Consultants, and his prior work with us on initiatives as important as ‘Don’t Lie for the Other Guy’ demonstrates his genuine commitment to helping our retailers be the best they can be,” said Patrick Shay, NSSF Director, Retail Development. “We are dedicated to providing our retailers programs and services that address the needs they have every day, big or small, and adding a compliance expert like Gary to our team of highly skilled consultants helps us go that extra mile.”

“I look forward to helping the firearms industry members where I can,” said Bangs. “Remaining vigilant is the route to keeping in compliance with federal requirements, and conducting regular audits is the best means to ensure something isn’t being missed. When working for ATF, the comment I would hear most from industry members with violations was ‘I thought I was doing everything right.’ This NSSF program will help ensure the retailer is doing everything right.”

NSSF provides a team of Compliance Consultants, most of whom are former ATF officials, to work with its members in an advisory capacity and aid them in issues of regulatory compliance. For more information on becoming a member of NSSF, email membership@nssf.org or click here (https://www.nssf.org/join/).

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About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit nssf.org.