May 19, 2016

The following is a sampling of recent news clips in which NSSF has appeared:

Business Trends

The Washington Times
Obama-era gun surge recedes as manufacturers flee post-Newtown restrictions
"Michael Bazinet, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), said Beretta production in Tennessee is just gearing up because of the recency of the opening. 'But that, you'd think, at some point would have an effect — since they're a large manufacturer — on the numbers that were coming out of Maryland,' said Mr. Bazinet of the NSSF, the trade group for gun manufacturers."

PJ Media
Are you invested in the gun industry? A new website helps you find out.
"Is it a smart financial decision to abandon investment in the firearms industry? It doesn't seem like it, but the anti-Second Amendment crowd isn't known for its intelligence. According to the latest National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) data, the firearms industry was responsible for $49.29 billion in economic activity for 2015, a figure that is more than double the economic impact of the industry back in 2008, when it was estimated at $19.5 billion."

Guns.com
Ruger Sales up $36.1M in first quarter
"Citing research by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, slides accompanying the speech identified new target shooters as 50 percent female, 56 percent living in urban or suburban areas, 19 percent as having hunted, 73 percent introduced to guns after the age of 18, and an average age of 32 years old."

PLCAA

CNN.com
What the Sandy Hook gun lawsuit can borrow from the big tobacco fight
"Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, dismissed the comparison to tobacco litigation as 'an old and invalid analogy.' 'Tobacco, when used as intended, causes harm to the user,' he said via email. 'Firearms, when used as intended, save lives. The lawful commerce in firearms is constitutionally protected. Tobacco is not.' Keane said the gun industry has survived years of 'costly, vexatious litigation' filed by gun control attorneys and tobacco trial lawyers who modeled their suits on earlier legal strategies."

Women in the Shooting Sports

Marshfield News Herald (Wisc.)
Women's shooting chapter starts in June
"'Many women may initially have purchased a firearm for self-protection, but after receiving some training and spending time on the range, many take up target shooting as an enjoyable and safe activity,' Michael Bazinet of the National Shooting Sports Foundation said. 'There are many thousands of women's shooting groups across the U.S. and most ranges now have such groups'."

WPSD Local 6 (NBC) (Paducah, Ken.)
Women fastest group becoming gun owners
"The National Shooting Sports Foundation says there were 3 million target shooters in 2001 and that number jumped to nearly 5 and a half-million in 2013."

Smart Guns

Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts)
Is America Finally Ready for Smart Guns
"Opponents of revising the (New Jersey) law, such as the National Shooting Sports Foundation and other gun groups, say it will still be expensive for retailers to comply and won't change criminal behavior."

Boston Herald (Letter to the Editor from Larry Keane)
Mandate isn't 'smart'
"To be clear, the firearms industry is not opposed to the development or marketing of 'smart gun' technology ('Booting Up: Adding tech to weapons just smart,' May 2). But we do oppose legal mandates. Serving the law enforcement community and military services as we do, we know the professionals must make the decisions about which firearms best serve their respective mission requirements and personnel and not have them imposed from above."

Project ChildSafe

The Columbus Dispatch
Gun Tragedies Are Preventable
"The National Shooting Sports Foundation's Project Child Safe offers information and free trigger locks at www.projectchildsafe.org/safety/get-a-safety-kit. A foundation infographic shows the various gun-safety equipment available and most of it is very affordable: bit.ly/1OJtVZI".

North Jersey Community Newspapers (Bergen Record group)
Police promote safety kits
"Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, has distributed over 35 million safety kits throughout the country since 2003, according to the release. The program is supported by the U.S. Department of Justice and the firearms industry. Verona Chief Mitchell Stern said he supports the project and is glad to give local residents a good opportunity to be safer. 'We hope that every resident who owns a gun that is not secured takes advantage of this offer,' Stern said."

Verona, N.J. Police press release
Project ChildSafe comes to Verona: 200 firearm safety kits to be distributed locally by the Verona Police Department
"'We are pleased to have the Verona Police Department as a Project ChildSafe partner,' said Bill Brassard Jr., director of Project ChildSafe. 'Project ChildSafe is an important step forward in helping ensure that all firearm owners fully understand their responsibilities with respect to safe handling and storage of firearms'."

ATF/NSSF Matching Rewards

Daily News (Newport News, Va.)
Three men detained after shooting at Hampton officer
"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hampton Police Division, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation are offering an award for information leading to an arrest in the burglary. The ATF is offering a $1,500 reward, which will be matched by the NSSF, for a total reward up to $3,000."

Sunday Hunting

Pittsburgh Tribune-Reniew
Lawmakers still seeking deal to allow Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania
"Speaking in support of legalizing hunting on Sundays were the usual proponents: the Pennsylvania Game Commission, National Rifle Association, Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, National Shooting Sports Foundation and Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania."

Jackson Herald (Ripley, W.V | letter to the Editor)
Sunday hunting will impact economy
"And finally, I'd also like to thank Cory Boothe for his guidance and the National Shooting Sports Foundation for all their help and support. Thank you!" — Mark E. Parsons, Le Roy, W.V.

Other

Los Angeles Times
State Senate approves sweeping new gun control laws for California
"The measures banning rifles with detachable magazines and requiring background checks for ammo buyers are opposed by the National Rifle Assn., Gun Owners of California and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry. The prohibition on semiautomatic guns with detachable magazine would result in 'banning many popular semiautomatic firearms currently legal under California law while doing nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals,' said the foundation in a statement."

E&E
CAMPAIGN 2016: Trump's son woos sportsmen, covets top job at Interior
"In January, Trump Sr. was the only presidential candidate to speak at the National Shooting Sports Foundation's annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas. On May 20, Trump will speak at NRA's Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum in Louisville, Ky."

Grist
Trump Jr. wants his dad to put him in charge of federal parks and land
"His father was the only presidential candidate to speak at the National Shooting Sports Foundation's annual trade show in Las Vegas."

Bearing Arms (pick-up of NSSF video)
Long Range Shooting: Brian Litz and the Science of Accuracy