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From the NSSF
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NSSF PAC Ready for ElectionsAt two years old, ever stronger and active By Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel Less than two years ago, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF)--the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and shooting sports industry--formed the National Shooting Sports Foundation Political Action Committee (NSSF PAC). Since then, the NSSF PAC has quickly and steadily gained momentum--a necessity in today's political climate, where anti-gun and anti-hunting forces remain intent on restricting the lawful commerce of firearms, stripping us of our Second Amendment rights, and ending America's hunting and shooting sports tradition and heritage.
Make no mistake: The "opportunity" they're discussing is the 2012 elections, which will be critical to the future of our country, this industry, and your business. This is where the NSSF PAC--your industry's PAC--comes in. The NSSF PAC is the nonpartisan federal multi-candidate political action committee of NSSF. It is the cornerstone of NSSF's 2012 government-relations strategy. Metaphorically speaking, the NSSF PAC is the hand at the end of NSSF's political arm. This past year, the NSSF PAC was busy growing its ranks to be in a better position come November to support pro-industry, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-sportsmen candidates for federal office--candidates who understand and support our industry and issues. The NSSF PAC supports candidates solely based on their record of promoting, protecting, and preserving our hunting and shooting sports heritage and constitutional firearms freedoms for present and future generations. A candidate's party affiliation or position on other issues, such as taxes or healthcare, is not considered by the NSSF PAC (unless they affect the firearms industry). We are a one-issue PAC with a singular focus--protecting our industry and your business. The NSSF PAC achieved several important milestones this past year as well, one of which was surpassing the 50-contributor mark to qualify as a Federal Election Commission-recognized multi-candidate PAC. Reaching this goal allows the PAC to provide greater support to candidates than we previously could. Additionally, the NSSF PAC passed our goal of raising more than $50,000 in contributions. We raised nearly three times more in 2011 than we did the year before. For an entity less than two years old, these are monumental achievements. To put things into perspective, Federal Election Commission records show the NSSF PAC has raised more money since its inception than the anti-gun Brady Campaign Voter Education Fund has raised over the last seven years. This November, NSSF's government-relations team will be doing its part through direct lobbying, grassroots advocacy, and voter education. These efforts will be zeroed in on getting more NSSF PAC-endorsed candidates elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. They will also ensure that the next president truly respects our industry and the Second Amendment, and will appoint Supreme Court justices who will decide Second Amendment issues based on the law and not their personal opinion. No one understands better than the NSSF PAC the unique legislative and regulatory challenges industry members face--and no organization will advance our industry's interests with more passion and commitment on Election Day. 2012 SHOT Show Sets Records
The SHOT Show is owned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and shooting sports industry. Revenues from the show support NSSF's many programs that work to promote, protect, and preserve hunting and the shooting sports.
"The SHOT Show allows NSSF to do many good things for the industry, shooting, and hunting," said NSSF president and CEO Steve Sanetti. Added Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president and chief marketing officer, "We have worked hard to make sure SHOT is a great selling and buying experience, and it resulted in our best show ever." From the opening bell, buyers filled the aisles to review products, many of them new offerings that will make their way to retail stores during the year. Any SHOT attendee will tell you the show is about more than selling and buying, however; it's a powerful display of industry unity and its resolve to meet any challenge affecting the right to make, sell, and own firearms. At the NSSF State of the Industry Dinner, Sanetti said, "I have never seen us so unified and united in our purpose." As evidence, he pointed to NSSF's fast-growing membership, which now tops 7,000, an all-time high. The SHOT Show will return to the Sands Expo & Convention Center January 15--18, 2013. Two Prestigious Awards Presented at State of the Industry Dinner
At the end of the first day of the SHOT Show, more than 2,000 NSSF supporters filled the sold-out ballroom for the State of the Industry Dinner, which was sponsored by Outdoor Channel and included a review of NSSF's accomplishments in the past year and was capped by entertainment from the hugely popular comedian Larry the Cable Guy. During the evening's program, two particularly prestigious awards were presented. NSSF presented Larry Potterfield, founder and CEO of Midway USA, with its Ken Sedlecky Achievement Award for his generous and longstanding contributions to programs that promote youth target shooting. The Professional Outdoor Media Association and NSSF honored veteran communicator and best-selling author S.P. Fjestad with the prestigious POMA/NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award. Fjestad publishes The Blue Book of Gun Values, a widely consulted database.
NSSF Files AppealThe National Shooting Sports Foundation has filed a notice of appeal in response to a federal court's denial of its lawsuit challenging the ATF's demand that firearms retailers report multiple sales of certain semi-automatic rifles. The lawsuit, NSSF v. Jones, was filed last August in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) had sent demand letters to nearly 8,700 Federal Firearms Licensees and pawnshops, including law-abiding NSSF members, located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas, requiring them to report multiple-rifle sales information.
NRA-backed plaintiffs, the firearms retailers J&G Sales Ltd. and Foothills Firearms LLC, also filed a notice of appeal. NSSF disagrees with the district court's reasoning that the ATF did not overstep the authority granted it by Congress by issuing demand letters and mandating that retailers provide the records. "The decision places our industry on a 'slippery slope,'" said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. "The district court's ruling will allow the ATF to demand whatever information it wants from any law-abiding retailer anywhere in the country for any reason the ATF wants simply by sending a letter demanding information. Though NSSF understands the ATF's motivation is to try to curtail violence in Mexico, Congress simply has not granted the ATF regulatory carte blanche." Keane stressed that the firearms industry abhors the criminal misuse of firearms. "Members of the firearms industry take great pride in their longstanding cooperative relationship with the ATF. Retailers have long been considered by the ATF to be a vital source of information for law enforcement in combating illegal firearms trafficking," Keane said. NSSF's notice is the first step toward having its appeal heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Legal Services Benefit NSSF Retailer MembersNSSF has prepared a package of benefits for NSSF retailers that anticipates a need for help when a question of ATF compliance arises. When an NSSF member retailer has a legal problem or question, especially regarding ATF compliance issues, NSSF can refer him or her to an attorney in the retail member's state who might be able to assist. "When it comes to ATF regulatory issues, for example, it is more important to have an attorney who is well versed in this area of the law, even if it might cost more, than it is to have a local attorney who is less experienced," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. NSSF also endorses a retailer insurance policy offered by Joseph Chiarello and Sons. The policy includes $25,000 in coverage for ATF enforcement action. Member retailers purchasing this policy receive both liability insurance coverage and assistance in protecting their licenses from an ATF enforcement action. "A retailer who has this insurance and takes advantage of NSSF's regulatory compliance resources, most of which are free, will be well positioned to stay in business," Keane said. Retailers wishing to take advantage of the free attorney- referral service or learn more about NSSF-endorsed retailer insurance should contact Bettyjane Swann, bswann@nssf.org, or Randy Clark, rclark@nssf.org, both at 203-426-1320. NSSF Seeks Manager, Retail Development
Responsibilities of this position include: establishing and maintaining direct communication with firearms retailers; managing activities of an Advisory Committee; developing, promoting, and implementing continuing education seminars; marketing and managing a hotline for retail members; engaging firearms retailers through all forms of technology; and working with government relations staff to identify key regulatory issues. The successful candidate must possess all the required qualifications and experience necessary to succeed in this increasingly competitive and highly regulated business environment. Qualifications include experience in retail sales of shooting sports products and in regulatory compliance. Familiarity with all segments of the industry distribution system and excellent communication, presentation, sales, and social media skills are additional requirements. Travel will occur approximately 40 percent of the time. Visit nssf.org to learn more about the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and shooting sports industry. Qualified candidates should forward a resume, cover letter, and salary history to HR@nssf.org. More Firearms Industry Jobs. You Should Know -- Sentiment for Firearms Ownership Is HighGallup Poll shows record support By Steve Sanetti, NSSF President & CEO
In that year, the respected George Gallup Organization surveyed American public opinion on what was then a hot topic: gun control. This was right after the first major comprehensive federal gun law was passed--the Gun Control Act of 1968. In that climate of fear and in response to massive political and news-media demonization of firearms as the tools of social discord, it is perhaps not surprising that more than half of Americans surveyed at that time were in favor of completely banning the ownership of handguns. Ever so slowly, however, public support for such gun-control measures began to wane, as evidenced by ongoing Gallup and other public-opinion surveys. We can speculate many reasons for this, among them the increasing number of firearms being produced and sold and the corresponding increase in the number of households owning firearms, the decrease in anti-military sentiment after the Vietnam War ended, the aging of the population, and younger Americans not being raised amid the 1960s' climate of war, assassinations, violence, and so forth. Whatever the reasons, the long-term trends have steadily favored firearms ownership. Let's look at a few examples from the October 26, 2011, Gallup Poll, entitled "Record-Low 26% in U.S. Favor Handgun Ban--Support for stricter gun laws in general is lowest Gallup has measured." When Gallup first asked Americans this question in 1959, 60 percent favored banning handguns. Since 1975, however, the majority of Americans have opposed such a measure, with opposition around 70 percent in recent years. Perhaps in recognition of this trend, in the late 1970s the name of the National Coalition to Ban Handguns changed to Handgun Control, Inc., which in turn later became the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. In the following years, the Gallup Organization began asking different questions relating to attitudes about gun control. We saw our position--that responsible Americans should be able to own the firearms of their choice--gradually become the mainstream opinion. In Gallup's words, "This year's poll finds support for a variety of gun-control measures at historical lows." A few examples from the October 2011 poll illustrate the trends:
Gallup even found greater opposition than support for a ban on semi-automatic firearms "or assault weapons" (Gallup's language) by a 10-point margin--53 to 43 percent. This is in sharp contrast to 15 years ago, when 57 percent were for and 42 percent were against such a ban on what are now the firearms of choice of so many American firearms owners. In Gallup's words, "Relatively few key subgroups favor stricter gun control laws today, whereas in 1991, all did . . . Democrats, Eastern residents, members of non-gun-owning households, and women were among the few subgroups to favor a ban on handguns in 1991, but now no key subgroup has a majority." Combine these findings with the fact that firearms sales have increased yearover- year for 19 straight months and that November and December 2011 saw record high point-of-sale background checks. It appears that our constitutional right to keep and bear arms is being exercised, or approved of, by ever-greater numbers of law-abiding Americans. Best of all, violent crime has been steadily decreasing to numbers not seen since the early 1960s, with firearms accidents continuing their drop to a record low and now constituting less than one-half of one percent of all fatal accidents in this country. Welcome trends, indeed! From My Side of the Counter -- Retailer Compliance TrainingNSSF helps firearms retailers be ATF-compliant By Larry Ahlman, President, Ahlmans Guns, Inc., Morristown, MN
In that regard, NSSF has added three new advisers to its popular retailer-compliance program. Now, four former ATF officials, who have performed hundreds of retail-store compliance inspections and audits during their tenure with the agency, are available to provide FFLs with the best possible service and training in the industry. The program is very straightforward and easy for firearms retailers to utilize. I contacted the NSSF office and requested to be on the list of stores to be visited. NSSF coordinated my available dates with the compliance advisers', and I was immediately scheduled. NSSF is engaging in a co-op program with the stores. The store pays a fee of $499 to the adviser, and NSSF pays the adviser's remaining fee, plus all his travel expenses. My experience is just another reminder that it really pays to become an NSSF member. On the day of the store visit, I made sure all of my staff was there so everyone could be involved with the training. The adviser arrived first thing in the morning. He asked me several questions about my store and its operations. One particular question he asked after reviewing my business structure was about any possible changes we were considering. He stressed the need to have any new business entity licensed before any asset transfer is consummated. Actually, we were thinking about changing our business, and the adviser's comments were very helpful. I gave him a store tour and a meet-and-greet with all of my employees. Once that was over, he immediately went to work. At each of the areas in which the consultant worked, he took the time to explain what he was doing and why. The consultant handled himself very professionally throughout the entire day, busily working with the staff, poring over paperwork, and asking questions of my staff and me. At the end of the day he pulled everyone together to go over his notes on our store. Each of my employees and I had a notebook handy and were ready to start recording his advice. The adviser carefully took the time to review my complete compliance practices. He left no stone unturned. The information that was covered ran from receiving procedures to handling the bound book, 4473 paperwork, proper filing, multiple-handgun reports, and inventory. He reviewed his findings for each area with each employee in specific detail. The compliance consultant was able to highlight areas in the store to which we needed to pay more attention. He praised our store for all the things we were doing right, and even took the time to help us do our jobs even better. The results of the visit were amazing to our staff. We came away with a fresh look at our store's operations, and the store employees and I felt very empowered by the approach that the adviser took. The adviser stressed training throughout the visit, and I will evaluate the available options to administer that training. On the whole, the total experience was invaluable. I'm very pleased that NSSF makes such a program available to its retail members, and to have had the opportunity to take advantage of it. Learn more about NSSF's ATF Compliance Consulting Program. NSSF Delivers Value
Bullet Points® -- On Target Every Week The National Shooting Sports Foundation® provides more than 50,000 subscribers and tens of thousands of visitors to the NSSF website recaps of the week's important developments for the shooting and hunting industry through its award-winning electronic newsletter, Bullet Points. Most items provide links to allow you to learn even more on these topics. If you wish to subscribe to this free e-newsletter, visit nssf.org and click on "Bullet Points." One Member's Experience
Business: Kittery Trading Post, Kittery, Maine Description of Business: "Kittery Trading Post was established in 1938 by Philip 'Bing' Adams in the same location where it now stands, and it is still wholly owned by the Adams family. This one-location outdoor outfitter features more than 100,000 square feet of retail space dedicated to the most complete selection of active outdoor products in the region, making it a popular destination for sportsmen and sportswomen from all over New England. The business employs more than 325 people." Experience with Bullet Points: "Because my opportunities to peruse the myriad printed resources aimed at servicing and reporting the shooting sports industry are limited, I find Bullet Points to be a very concise and timely source for most fast-breaking news and information relevant to our firearms and hunting division. Its intuitive, organized layout and well-labeled articles allow me to quickly identify issues of particular importance to me. Three things stand out to me: The content is well-written, by people with solid industry backgrounds; it utilizes only the best-positioned and most knowledgeable sources; and it doesn't waste my time with unnecessary 'filler' material or self-serving editorials." Value of NSSF Membership: "I am always confident that NSSF, to quote an overused phrase, 'has our back.' Its tireless and impassioned pursuit of its stated mission to promote, protect, and preserve hunting and the shooting sports benefits us and all firearms retailers in so many ways that it is tough to measure and easy to overlook. Programs like 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy' help dealers go beyond mere regulatory compliance to a proactive anti-crime stance. NSSF's many recruitment programs, such as First Shots, help ensure a steady stream of new shooters through our doors."
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Anti-gun groups, including New York mayor Mike Bloomberg and his misinformed Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), are continually exploring new ways to advance the gun-control agenda, and preparing their next attack on our industry. Just last year, according to Sarah Brady, President Obama told her, "I just want you to know that we are working on [gun control]. We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar." Leading gun-control advocate Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) recently said, "I have spoken to the President. He is with me on [gun control], and it's just going to be when that opportunity comes forward that we're going to be able to go forward."
Energized by unprecedented gun sales nationwide, firearms industry professionals turned out in record numbers to the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, held January 17--20. The largest trade show of its kind, and the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas, the SHOT Show set an overall attendance record of more than 61,000, including new highs for buyers, at 36,383, and media, at 2,491. Though show organizers deliberately reduced the size of the show to better accommodate attendees at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, some 1,600 exhibitors filled booth space covering 630,000 net square feet. The show attracted professionals from all 50 states and 100 countries.
NSSF is bolstering its support of its retailer membership with the creation of a new position--manager, retail development--in its Newtown, Conn., headquarters.
In order to understand the amazing change in public opinion regarding firearms ownership, let's go back to the unsettling year of 1969. This was a year when America was in turmoil--an unpopular war, recent assassinations of the president and other public figures, the counter-culture movement and generational discord in full swing, urban blight and riots in the streets. Fear of crime ranked number one on the list of national issues.
As a longtime member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), I try to take advantage of the 
Member: Kim C. Adams, vice president, shooting sports