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April 24, 2015 |
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NSSF Congressional Fly-In Largest,
The annual NSSF Congressional Fly-In this week in Washington, D.C., brought to the nation’s capital a record number of leaders from NSSF Voting Member companies, supporting manufacturing and distributing member companies and leading retailers. Participants described their meetings with members of both houses of Congress as highly productive with great interest expressed in the positive economic impact of the industry on the nation’s economy, as well as in the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act, which is the industry's top priority. Other issues discussed included defeating President Obama's regulatory gun control agenda. Other issues discussed included export control reform and "Operation Choke Point." For the first time in the eight-year history of the Fly-In, there were more opportunities for meetings than could be accommodated. See Fly-In related stories below.
Firearms Industry Economic Impact Rises 125% since 2008
U.S. Rep. Luetkemeyer Named 2014 NSSF Legislator of the Year
NSSF Recognizes Sen. Inhofe for Shining Light on HSUS
NSSF's Keane Responds to 'Public Health' Argument In a response posted this week to the article “Diagnosis: Gun deaths and injuries are a public health issue” that appeared recently in The Hill, a publication widely read in Washington, the NSSF’s Larry Keane wrote that renewed calls to treat the misuse of firearms in our society as a public health issue are nothing new and, in fact, began in the late 1980s. “Then as now, putting the emphasis on guns, and not their criminal misuse, remains a wrong-headed approach, even if it’s one with appeal to those with little personal experience with firearms. Doctors should concentrate on genuine public health concerns — and there are many of those, ranging from the return of once nearly conquered childhood illnesses such as measles to inadequate infection control protocols leading to unnecessary deaths in hospitals, as well as such perennial issues as obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” Keane wrote.
Bill to Remove Inactive Indiana Lawsuit Headed to Governor The Indiana Senate voted to concur with House amendments this week and approved legislation that will likely put an end to a 16-year-old, inactive lawsuit aimed at the firearms industry. SB 98, sponsored by State Sen. Jim Tomes and State Rep. Ben Smaltz, will now head to Gov. Mike Pence for approval. The Governor indicated his support for the bill earlier in the year.
Montana Governor Approves Hunting with Suppressors Gov. Steve Bullock signed HB 250 into law this week that bill going into effect with his approval. The enactment of this legislation will now bring Montana in line with the 34 other states that currently allow the use of suppressors for hunting all animals. NSSF supports efforts to remove restrictions on the use of suppressors for hunting and to permit their use at shooting ranges.
Judge Allows NSSF suit against Calif. City to Go Forward
ATF Appointments Announced Firearms and Explosives Industry Division Chief Mike Fronczak has been selected as Washington/Baltimore DIO, replacing Gary Bangs who will be retiring. We have no indication at this time of who will replace Mr. Fronczak as division chief. Earl Griffith has been selected as Chief of the Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division (FATD). Max Kingery has been selected as Chief of the Firearms Technology Criminal Branch.
No Implementation Yet Seen for Notice 41P as Final Rule NSSF has confirmed with ATF that the bureau is unlikely to publish Notice 41P (NFA Trusts) as a Final Rule for quite some time. This is in part because EPS resources are being diverted to help process the 310,000 public comments received in response to the armor piercing ammunition framework proposal. In addition, it seems ATF has not prepared to revise the NFA database so that it can track “responsible persons” for NFA trusts. The proposed rule would require the responsible person(s) on an NFA Trust be fingerprinted.
Colo. Responds in Magazine Capacity Lawsuit The State of Colorado has filed its response brief in Colorado Outfitters v. Hickenlooper, a case in which NSSF has joined with other pro-Second Amendment non-profit groups to challenge the state’s unconstitutional restrictions on ownership of standard-capacity magazines. The Colorado laws criminalize the new acquisition of standard-capacity magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds and expand background check requirements to cover most routine private firearms transfers. The state argues that these unconstitutional burdens are necessary as they promote public safety. NSSF will file a brief to address the state’s response next month and expect that oral argument may be held as early as this coming autumn.
CBP Clarifies Temporary Exportation of Firearms Rules U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has provided clarification that it will continue to issue a paper Certificate of Registration (CBP Form 4457) so that U.S. citizens traveling abroad may take their firearm(s) out of the country without experiencing undue delays due to a new electronic Automated Export System (AES) filing requirement. The new requirement is extremely difficult for individuals to satisfy because they lack the required Employer’s ID Number (EIN). NSSF points out that there has been considerable confusion on this topic. For its part, CBP explained that its enforcement focus is on those engaged in the export of firearms for use in criminal or terrorist activity. CBP recommends travelers allow a few hours for the declaration of the firearms and advises gaining knowledge of the import requirements of the foreign country(s) that they may be traveling through or visiting. Work is under way to modify the AES system and the reporting process to make it more “user-friendly”.
Firearms Industry Compliance Conference May 11-13
The 2015 Firearms Industry Compliance Conference (FICC) to be held on May 11-13, 2015, in Orlando, Florida, is bringing together more than 30 speakers from organizations such as ATF, Remington Outdoor Company, Smith & Wesson, Sports Authority, Dunham's Sports, NSSF, Orchid Advisors and SAAMI. The conference is co-sponsored by Orchid Advisors and NSSF. Discounted registration is available to all NSSF members. Register to attend. Highlights from last year's event can be found on the Orchid Advisors website. ALERT - Fraudulent Hotel Scam: Be aware of third party organizations that may contact you to register for the 2015 FICC or hotel (ex: Exhibitors Housing Services is NOT an authorized service provider). You should book your reservations only through the Orchid Advisors' registration page DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION. Contact mingram@orchidadvisors.com if you have any questions.
Thank You to Our Latest NSSF PAC Contributors President's Club ($5,000): Bruce Pettet
Learn more about our industry's Political Action Committee:
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NSSF has honored U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) as NSSF’s 2014 Legislator of the Year. This recognition was given at the annual dinner in Washington, D.C., during the firearm industry’s 2015 Congressional Fly-In this week. The Congressman’s early leadership in identifying and working to halt the abuse of executive power inherent in “Operation Choke Point” was instrumental in his selection for the annual award. Operation Choke Point involved the Department of Justice, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and other financial service regulatory agencies in an initiative to restrict the provision of financial services to businesses deemed at “high risk” of conducting illegal activity, but that were in reality simply out of favor with a highly political Obama administration. The operation negatively affected many businesses, including those in the firearms, ammunition and related industries. 
U.S. Sen. James M. "Jim" Inhofe (R-Okla.) this week received 
