Bullet Points 2-16-15

February 16, 2015

Vol. 16 No. 07

NSSF Industry Summit June 1-3

REGISTRATION IS OPEN . . . Groundbreaking research and insights on proven programs that result in growing the ranks of target shooters and hunters are hallmarks of NSSF Industry Summits, which is why you'll want to save the dates to attend NSSF's 2015 Industry Summit in Savannah, Georgia, June 1-3. Discounted, early bird registration pricing is in effect until March 31. Representatives from all segments of the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, conservation and hunting organizations, target shooting organizations and federal and state wildlife agencies are encouraged to attend. Dynamic speakers such as Jeremy Gutsche, who was a hit at last year's Summit; Seth Mattison, an expert on generational dynamics; and NASCAR President Mike Helton will headline the event. The Savannah Marriott Riverfront is the host hotel for the Industry Summit, which is expected to reach capacity with more than 200 individuals who feel strongly about creating a positive future for the shooting sports attending. Register today to reserve your place at this most important industry event. The Summit's Platinum sponsor is the Georgia Department of Economic Development, but many other sponsorship opportunities are available.

• BLUE FORCE GEAR SIGNS AS BRONZE SPONSOR FOR INDUSTRY SUMMIT . . . The NSSF is pleased to announce that Blue Force Gear is the newest Bronze sponsor of the 2015 NSSF Industry Summit. Started in 2004, the Pooler, Georgia-based Blue Force Gear specializes in producing creatively designed slings, body armor carriers, MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment) attachments and other tactical accessories for military, law enforcement and other security professionals. Read the press release.

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Government Relations

• FIREARMS INDUSTRY PROTECTION BILL INTRODUCED IN KANSAS . . .State Rep. Travis Couture-Lovelady last week introduced HB 2311, the Kansas Firearms Industry Nondiscrimination (FIND) Act. Kansas is the first state to see NSSF-supported legislation introduced to protect the lawful commerce in firearms, ammunition or related products by making it a discriminatory business practice to refuse provision of services. As previously reported, Operation Choke Point (OCP), the federally orchestrated initiative in which financial services providers were pressured to end relationships with firearms licensees, is just the tip of the iceberg for discriminatory practices against industry members. FIND Act advocacy is a new NSSF initiative. We encourage industry members to tell us of instances of discrimination solely because of your involvement in any firearms related business by emailing Elizabeth Karasmeighan,ekarasmeighan@nssf.org. 

• URGE YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT THE BIPARTISAN SPORTSMEN'S ACT . . .The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act (S.405), NSSF's top legislative priority, has been introduced in the United States Senate by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). For hunters and sport shooters this is the most significant piece of sportsmen's legislation in a generation. It protects the use of traditional ammunition, allows more flexibility of federal funds to be used to build and maintain ranges on public lands and ensures access to federal lands for hunting, shooting and other outdoor activities. NSSF makes it easy for you to contact your two U.S. Senators with your customizable message to support S. 405. Take action here.

• CALIF. FISH & GAME COMMISSION DISCUSSES TRADITIONAL AMMO BAN . . . The California Fish and Game Commission met last week to discuss implementation of AB 711, the law banning traditional ammunition for hunting in California. An NSSF representative gave testimony on the topic and explained concerns involved with the phasing out of traditional ammunition, urging the commission to delay the implementation. The commission will meet again in April to adopt the proposed regulations. The phasing-in of non-lead ammunition will begin on July 1 with the final phase of the process concluding by July 2019, meaning the use of traditional ammunition for hunting purposes in California will be banned by mid-2019. See the proposed regulations here.

• NSSF STANDS READY AFTER SANDY HOOK PANEL REPORT . . . It is uncertain if recommendations in the just-released final report of the Sandy Hook School Commission will make their way into legislation and whether any additional restrictions on firearms would be passed by the Connecticut General Assembly since the state arguably already has the toughest gun laws in the nation. Legislators and the governor are struggling to fill an ever-growing budget and long-term obligations shortfall. The firearms industry is always willing to engage with policy makers and legislators to focus on measures that truly enhance public safety. Unfortunately, what we most often hear are proposals that do nothing to advance public safety while only affecting law-abiding citizens. Additional restrictions suggested are impractical and ineffective, costly to taxpayers in some cases and would further negatively affect the economics of an industry that still employs thousands in the state.

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

Legal

• JUDGE STRIKES DOWN INTERSTATE HANDGUN TRANSFER BAN . . . A federal judge in Texas has struck down the 1968 Gun Control Act's interstate handgun transfer ban as unconstitutional under both the Second Amendment and the Fifth Amendment. This law applies only to handguns and prohibits a resident of one state from purchasing a handgun in another state without first transferring the firearm to an FFL in the person's state of residence to complete the sale. Plaintiffs filed suit after a D.C. couple sought to purchase two handguns while in Texas but would have been forced to pay the only D.C-based FFL a $125 transfer fee. In addressing plaintiffs' Second Amendment challenge, the judge applied strict scrutiny to find that there was no "founding-era thinking" that would support a residency-based firearm restriction. The court also found the ban violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. NSSF expects the Department of Justice to seek a stay of the court's order while it appeals the ruling so we caution all retailers not to transfer handguns to out of state residents based on this ruling. NSSF will seek to file an amicus brief on behalf of all retailers in support of this ruling and will keep you apprised of any updates.

ATF

• ATF SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON 5.56 M855 AMMO BAN . . . The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has announced it is seeking to ban widely held 5.56 M855 ball ammunition as "armor piercing ammunition." ATF is seeking public comment on the proposal, so all industry employees, target shooters and gun owners should contact ATF to oppose this unnecessary ban, which is truly a solution in search of a problem and that raises serious questions about executive agency attitude and overreach. See The NSSF Action Alert and email or write ATF today.

• ATF PROVIDES UPDATED MANUFACTURER'S REPORT . . . The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has released the final version of the Annual Firearms Manufacturers and Export Report (AFMER) for 2013 and it shows the number of pistols manufactured that year totaled 4.4 million, compared to 3.4 million in 2012. The number of rifles manufactured also increased, with 3.9 million produced in 2013 compared to 3.1 million in 2012. Total number of exported firearms also grew from more than 287,000 in 2012 to more than 393,000 in 2013. View the 2015 Annual Firearms Manufacturers and Export Report on the ATF website.

• NFA BUSINESS INCREASING RAPIDLY . . . The number of dealers getting into the National Firearms Act (NFA) firearms business is continuing to increase rapidly and the number of NFA applications filed with the NFA Branch at ATF continues to rise. With a greatly increased staff of 25 Legal Instrument Examiners, many of them new and getting to full efficiency, the backlog of NFA forms has been whittled down from more than 80,000 to about 36,000. Given the increasing applications, however, the question is how low will the number of pending applications go before they start to increase again? Much of the intense increase in interest in NFA firearms is focused on silencers. According to ATF's 2011 Commerce in Firearms Report, as of December 2010 there were 284,087 lawfully registered silencers in the United States. As of March 2014, there were 571,750.

Congressional Fly-In

• SAVE THE DATE: 2015 NSSF CONGRESSIONAL FLY-IN . . .NSSF's 2015 Congressional Fly-In will be held April 22-23 in Washington, D.C. More details on this year's event will be available soon. Participation in the NSSF Congressional Fly-In is limited to presidents/CEOs (or a senior staff member of their choosing) of voting members and supporting manufacturer and distributor members. The NSSF Congressional Fly-In is a great opportunity to meet directly with senators and representatives to explain legislative priorities and outline the significant economic impact our industry has on their districts, states and the nation. Watch the Fly-In Video.

SHOT Show

• OUTDOOR CHANNEL MARKS FIVE YEARS OF SHOT SHOW SPONSORSHIP . . . The 2015 SHOT Show marked Outdoor Channel's fifth consecutive year supporting the SHOT Show at a notably high level. Outdoor Channel is, literally, everywhere you turn when it comes to SHOT Show, providing tremendous support through its pre- and post-show publicity and their televised and web broadcasts that bring celebrities, products and show news to those who can't make the trip to Las Vegas. Simply put, Outdoor Channel's commitment to helping NSSF put together a show that has such immense value for every manufacturer, buyer, distributor and media member who takes the time and money to attend the show sets a benchmark for all others. Read more.

• SHOT SHOW INDUSTRY DAY AT THE RANGE SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD . . . In its tenth year, the 2015 SHOT Show® Industry Day at the Range™ was attended by over 1,100 members of the media and over 400 buyers. With 170 manufacturers exhibiting and over 500,000 rounds of ammunition shot, Industry Day is the largest hands-on event in the hunting and shooting industry, giving outdoor media and buyers the opportunity to shoot and test new products for 2015. This year's exhibiting companies featured firearms, ATV and truck demos, knife throwing, archery and more. Read the full press release here.

Members

• DID YOU KNOW? . . . NSSF's Voting and Supporting Members receive a considerable discount on their SHOT Show booth space ($26 per square foot for Voting members, $31 for Supporting members and $36 for non-members). For information on this special discount, click here.

Research

• USITC FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION ANNUAL DATA AVAILABLE FOR 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 December import and export data, as well as the 2014 fourth quarter and annual data. NSSF members may access additional historical import and export data by logging in and clicking NSSF Industry Research.

Ranges

• WOODS GROUP RANGE CONSULTING TO SPONSOR NSSF LEAD MANAGEMENT AND OSHA WORKSHOP . . . NSSF is pleased to announce that the Woods Group Range Consulting has signed on to sponsor the 2015 NSSF Lead Management and OSHA Workshop, March 1-3, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Headed by owner Patrick Woods, Woods Group Range Consulting specializes in new range establishment consulting, range and firearms retail management and a variety of indoor range services such as HVAC assessment, budget planning and equipment selection, energy consumption plans and lead air sampling. The 2015 NSSF Lead Management and OSHA Workshop is a two-day seminar focusing on OSHA and EPA compliance, range safety and health planning, hazard communication, medical surveillance and OSHA recording and environmental laws and regulations pertaining to firearms ranges. Read the press release.

• NSSF PREMIUM RANGE MEMBERSHIP NOW AVAILABLE . . . NSSF is pleased to announce that it is now offering a Premium Range Membership to its array of membership options. Modeled after the success of the Premium Retailer Membership, the new category will provide a variety of benefits and tools to range owners and operators seeking to improve how they do business, grow their customer bases and successfully meet the challenges of safety and environmental issues today's modern firearm ranges face. Read more about it here and visit nssf.org/ranges/premium for a list of benefits offered.

Retailers

• RETAILER EDUCATION SEMINARS STARTING SOON . . . Despite the record snowfalls in the areas surrounding NSSF's offices in Newtown, Conn., the calendar does tell us spring is just a few short weeks away. That means NSSF will be kicking off the first of a dozen Retailer Education Seminars around the country. Read the blog post.

• ATF Q&A . . . As part of NSSF's mission to help promote, protect and preserve the shooting industry, we offer a 24/7 compliance hotline to our retailer members. Here are two questions that were asked during the numerous calls we received last week. The first question covers whether a parent or guardian may purchase ammunition for a juvenile. The second questionrelates to whether a retailer may conduct a NICS background check on a special ordered firearm. Do you and your staff know the answers? Click on the links to get answers to these and many other great questions.

• DEVISING A DISASTER PREPARATION PLAN . . . Whether your disaster is singular to your store or global to your community and region, you need a disaster plan. No one wants to think about these things. Nor do we want to think about fires or earthquakes, let alone a burglary of your store or a hacking of your computer system. But other than having your insurance premium paid up, are you prepared for any of these disasters? Are your A&D records safe? What will happen to your inventory, your customer lists and your boxes of completed 4473 forms? This blog post suggests some field-tested ideas for consideration when building your disaster plan.

News of Note

• VISTA OUTDOOR SPUN OFF FROM ATK . . . Vista Outdoor Inc., which previously operated as the Sporting Group of Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), last week announced its spin-off from ATK as an independent publicly traded outdoor sports and recreation company (NSTE: VSTO). "Today marks the creation of a new leading commercial and consumer-products company focused on innovative solutions, strategic customer partnerships, execution excellence and creating long-term shareholder value," said Mark DeYoung, Vista Outdoor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. With more than 30 brands, including Federal Premium Ammunition, Savage Arms, Bushnell, Primos and Blackhawk, Vista Outdoorserves a diverse customer base with a wide range of products. The company, which will operate in two segments—Outdoor Products and Shooting Sports—is headquartered in Utah and has a global workforce of 5,800 employees.

• SMART GUN OWNERS TRUMP 'SMART GUNS' . . . A technology industry association and a gun control group recently co-hosted a symposium on so-called 'smart gun' technology. Although the stated goal of the event was to take a "neutral stance on the issue and to provide an open forum for experts to make their case, pro or con," to us, the deck appeared stacked. While NSSF does not oppose the research and development of authorized user technology, we also firmly believe that mandates for it would be inappropriate and ill advised, no matter the level of reliability that may eventually be reached. Read Larry Keane's blog post on this symposium and the overall issue of "smart guns."

• ELLETT BROTHERS AUCTION RAISES $25,000 FOR YSSA . . . At its 2015 Dealer Show in Columbia, South Carolina, Ellett Brothers continued its longstanding support of youth shooting sports with a silent auction of firearms and sporting accessories that generated $25,000 for the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance. Since 2009, thanks to the generous vendor donations and dealer participation, Ellett Brothers has raised over $196,000 for YSSA. "The contributions and support received from the Ellett Brothers family has enabled the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance to overcome many of the limiting factors to the growth of youth shooting sports programs nationwide that are attributable to equipment and supplies," said YSSA Executive Director Steve Miller in a press release.

• NORTH AMERICAN SESSION ON STATE AGENCY MARKETING . . . At the 100th session of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference March 8-13 in Omaha, a special session of importance to state fish and wildlife agency professionals will be "The Business of Conservation: Converting Consumers to Customers," which will focus on how agencies can meet the challenge of engaging with and developing new customers. Learn more about the North American Conference.

• POTTERFIELDS' DONATION AIDS YOUTH SHOOTING . . . Larry and Brenda Potterfield, owners of MidwayUSA, recently announced they have donated $836,707 to the MidwayUSA Foundation to benefit youth shooting sports. Over half of this donation stems from the matching program offered by the MidwayUSA Foundation. Under this program, donors can choose the shooting team that will benefit from their donation and the Potterfields match that donation. The other portion of the donation benefits partner organizations that assist in supporting youth shooting sports.

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• DOING EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD TO PROTECT TECHNICAL DATA . . . If you are a manufacturer of firearms, components, ammunition or accessories, you are most likely in possession of ITAR-controlled technical data, either your own, a third party's or both. Technical data consists of the drawings, engineering files and other information used in the design, development, production, manufacture, assembly, operation, repair, testing, maintenance or modification of most firearms, components, ammunition and certain accessories. ThisOrchid Advisory takes a look at three areas of concern and practical fixes that can be applied. Orchid Advisors is an endorsed compliance information provider for NSSF members.

NSSF PAC

• 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): No new contributors to report
  
  Caucus Club ($500 or more): No new contributors to report
  
  Congressional Club ($250 or more): No new contributors to report
  
  Industry Club (up to $249): Laura Springer, Nicholas Verna, Jon Walgren and Seth Waugh

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 © 2015 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.