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Bipartisan Legislation Preserves, Protects
America's Hunting and Outdoor Traditions
 REACH OUT TO SENATORS, URGE CO-SPONSORSHIP OF BIPARTISAN SPORTSMEN'S ACT . . . U.S. senators will spend the next two weeks in their home states for the Easter recess, providing opportunity for firearm owners, hunters, target shooters and sportsmen to attend public events, such as town hall meetings your senator may hold. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or email your senators and urge them to co-sponsor the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act (S.1996), the most important package of measures to preserve and protect America's hunting and outdoor traditions in a generation. This legislation will prevent anti-hunting groups from restricting hunters' ammunition choices; provide state fish and game agencies with more flexibility to build and maintain public shooting ranges; and help provide more access to federal lands and waters for hunting, target shooting and fishing. See NSSF Fast Facts on the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act.
Retailers
 FINANCIAL BENCHMARKING SURVEY COMING . . . For the third year in a row, NSSF has contracted Industry Insights, Inc. to conduct a financial and operating survey. NSSF retailer members that complete this survey will receive both an industry-wide report, as well as an individual company performance report. The results will allow participating retailers to better understand their financial performance compared to their peers. All the key income statement and balance sheet figures will be covered. Watch your inbox for your invitation to complete this survey. To receive a link to the survey please contact NSSF Director, Industry Research and Analysis Jim Curcuruto atjcurcuruto@nssf.org. View a sample report table of contents.
- A FEW SEATS REMAIN FOR SEMINAR IN TEXAS . . . There are still a few spots available for the NSSF Retailer Education Seminar scheduled in San Antonio, Texas, on April 22. All firearms retailers in the region are encouraged to register to attend this five-hour seminar designed to help FFL holders stay in compliance. These seminars are free to NSSF members and $100 per person for non-members.Register to attend or find out more about NSSF Membership.
Ranges
 10 WAYS TO KEEP RANGE NEIGHBORS HAPPY . . . For shooting facilities, good community relations can be key to preventing problems with neighbors and to readily solving them if they do arise. At The Range Report website you can read “10 Ways to Keep Range Neighbors Happy,” a feature by a range owner who knows of what he writes. See a succinct list of valuable suggestions to help cement your range’s standing in the community.
Government Relations
- FIRST CALIFORNIA WORKSHOP ON LEAD-AMMO RULES . . . California hunters should make every effort to attend a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) public workshop on the implementation of the state wide ban on traditional lead ammunition. The workshop will be held Tuesday, April 15, in Ventura at 911 San Pedro Street 7-8:30 p.m. Regulations to carry out the lead-ammunition ban in California must be established no later than July 1, 2015, with full implementation to be effective no later than July 1, 2019. In order to carry out AB 711 that he signed into law, Gov. Jerry Brown has directed state wildlife authorities to work with the public to produce the “least disruptive” regulations. See the NSSF Alert.
- THREE HOUSE CHAIRMEN ASK ATF TO RULE ON AP AMMO . . . The chairmen of three committees of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote ATF Director B. Todd Jones last week urging him to issue a long-overdue ruling, consistent with the original Congressional intent, to clarify that ammunition designed and manufactured for use in rifles should not be classified as "armor piercing" under a 30-year-old law. There are 19 petitions with ATF requesting that products be exempted because they are intended for sporting purposes. NSSF has been leading the effort to win from ATF this acknowledgement, which is increasingly important as manufacturers seek to bring to market ammunition using non-traditional materials. Read the letter.
- SIG SUES ATF FOR MISCLASSIFICATION OF MUZZLE BREAK AS SILENCER . . . Sig Sauer has filed a civil lawsuit against the ATF for wrongfully classifying a muzzle brake designed to reduce recoil as a silencer. Sig alleges that since silencers are "subject to burdensome legal requirements," ATF is subjecting the company to economic loss. ATF Director B. Todd Jones is named as defendant in the suit and has 21 days after being served to respond to the civil action. Sig explains it designed the muzzle brake to reduce recoil and muzzle rise, so it is not subject to regulation under the federal Gun Control Act.
- ATF ISSUES ADVISORY ON RUSSIAN-MADE 5.45x39 AMMO . . . ATF has issued a Special Advisory on the classification of Russian-manufactured 7N6 5.45x39 steel-core ammunition, which has been determined to be armor piercing. Handguns chambered in 5.45x39 do not appear to be commercially available for sale in the U.S. Read the advisory.
- ATF ISSUES ANNUAL LOST/STOLEN REPORT . . . ATF has released a report on firearms Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) reported lost or stolen in 2013. On a state-by-state basis, nearly two-thirds of the 54 states and territories (33) saw declines in the number of firearms reported lost by FFLs. There was also a significant decline in the incidents of burglary (down 23 percent), larceny (18 percent) and robbery (19 percent) nationwide. Though the report found that there was an increase in the number of receivers reported as lost, this may be due to manufacturers assigning blocks of serial numbers to models, not producing the firearms for a variety of reasons. In such situations, the never-produced receivers are reported as "lost or stolen" to account for the serial numbers. Read the ATF report.
For more Government Relations news, read NSSF's latest Government Relations Update.
NSSF Industry Summit
 JEREMY GUTSCHE TO DELIVER CLOSING KEYNOTE . . . Over the past few years, Jeremy Gutsche has spoken to 150,000 people at more than 200 events, making him one of the most sought-after speakers on the planet. Gutsche is the founder ofTrendHunter.com, the largest, most influential, most updated collection of cutting-edge ideas anywhere. He relentlessly tracks and finds The Next Big Thing -- that valuable but elusive commodity -- for a global audience that generates millions of views a month. His bestselling book, Exploiting Chaos, was named one of Inc. magazine's "Best Books for Business Owners" and reached No. 1 on the 800-CEO-READ list of business bestsellers. Gutsche provides innovation advice that is practical, thought-provoking and actionable. He will deliver the closing keynote on June 11 at NSSF's 2014 Industry Summit.
Research
- MATERIALS FOR HUNTER EDUCATION COORDINATORS . . . Along with spring turkey season comes a new crop of hunter education students. NSSF thanks all hunter education coordinators and reminds them of research and safety literature available to them. Past research on peer influence and safety and conservation literature are available online.
News of Note
- SCTP AND SCHOLASTIC PISTOL MIDWEST REGIONALS . . . More than 530 student athletes from nine states converged on the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill., April 4-6 for the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Pistol Program High School and College Midwest Regional Tournament. The SCTP matches in skeet, trap and sporting clays fielded 384 competitors, representing an 82 percent increase in participation over last year. SPP squads vied for titles in rimfire and centerfire pistol. “A total of 53,600 competition targets were fired upon by these athletes, with not one single miscue,” said Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Program Director. Read press release.
- FIRST CASE OF CWD FOUND IN WILD IOWA DEER . . . The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that the first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in the state’s wild deer population, reports the Outdoor Hub. The article cites a press release from the DNR stating that the infected deer was harvested by a hunter using a shotgun in Allamakee County late last year. Every state surrounding Iowa has earlier reported the presence of CWD in some form. CWD is a neurological disease that affects the deer family of species and is always fatal. The next step is for the DNR to focus monitoring efforts in the area where the deer was shot and gather more information from local landowners and hunters.
 LAST SHIPMENT OF ELK FROM KENTUCKY TO VIRGINA FURTHERS REINTRODUCTION EFFORTS . . .The last group of elk—45 of them—in Virginia’s pilot reintroduction program have arrived in Buchanan County from Kentucky. Virginia’s Elk Management and Restoration Plan has a short-term goal of raising the state’s elk population to 400 individuals. Read more.
- PENNSYLVANIA MENTORED ADULT PROGRAM APPROVED . . . The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners has approved a mentor-based program for first-time hunters 18 years and older. Since 2006, the Game Commission has offered its Mentored Youth Hunting Program, which enables people under the age of 12 to obtain a permit and legally harvest select game species under the close supervision of a properly licensed adult mentor. The new Mentored Adult Hunting Program would follow a similar model and aims to add to the ranks of hunters. The plan has been inspired by the Families Afield initiative put forth by NSSF, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and the National Wild Turkey Federation.
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NSSF's Mission
"To promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. "
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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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