JOIN US IN PITTSBURGH JUNE 6-8 . . . Dynamic speakers, thought-provoking discussions and groundbreaking research. This year’s Industry Summit will have it all. Join us in Pittsburgh, June 6-8, as we work to chart the way forward for our industry and our sports. Leaders from all segments of the firearms industry will be in attendance, including firearms retailers, shooting ranges, manufacturers and the many others that encompass the hunting and shooting sports community. Be a part of it and register today.
Government Relations
HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP VISITS LIPSEY’S . . . U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, (R-La.), House Majority Whip, visited Lipsey’s Baton Rouge facility last week. Lipsey’s is one of the nation’s largest firearms distributors. NSSF encourages member companies to invite elected officials to visit their facilities to acquaint them with the economic benefits they bring to the region and to discuss issues regarding the protection of lawful commerce in firearms. For help with inviting a Member of Congress to visit, email Patrick Rothwell, prothwell@nssf.org, or Mike Bazinet, mbazinet@nssf.org.
NSSF CONGRESSIONAL FLY-IN BIGGEST TO DATE . . . The annual April NSSF Congressional Fly-In brought to the nation’s capital a record number of leaders from NSSF Voting Member companies, supporting manufacturing and distributing companies and leading retailers. Industry members who participated described their meetings with members of both houses of Congress as highly productive. Some 97 percent of attendees responding to our anonymous survey said they would either absolutely or very likely recommend attending the Fly-In to their colleagues. Next year’s Fly-In is April 4-5.
STATE ROUNDUP . . . Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has vetoed legislation that would have given firearms-related businesses protection from financial services discrimination solely based on the nature of their business. NSSF will continue this fight for this protection. The Vermont House of Representatives has passed legislation to permanently allow suppressor possession and use, correcting a sunset provision that was in last year’s legislation. The Delaware House Committee on Agriculture has approved House Substitute 1 for House Bill 289, legislation that would repeal the ban on Sunday deer hunting.
Read NSSF’s latest Government Relations Update for more.
Legal
ATF INTRODUCES NEW RULINGS AT INDUSTRY CONFERENCE . . . ATF took the opportunity of the Firearms Industry Compliance Conference, co-hosted by NSSF and Orchid Advisors, last week to announce three new rulings to the industry experts in attendance. Posted on the ATF website, two of them involve significant changes. NSSF intends to raise important concerns with ATF regarding the time needed for the industry to come into compliance with these rulings because they are effective immediately. See the NSSF’s detailed comments on ATF rulings.
ATF
ORDER #GUNVOTE STICKERS . . . Show your support and order #GUNVOTE stickers to display on vehicles, in your office, at events and elsewhere to get the word out. There is too much at stake this election year not to be 100 percent committed. Don’t risk your rights. #GUNVOTE. If you are an NSSF Member, please order from the NSSF Member shopping cart to receive a member discount. Stickers are priced $1 each and a minimum order of 15 stickers is required.
JUDGE WON’T DELAY DISCOVERY . . . A Connecticut Superior Court Judge has denied a motion from defendants to stay the discovery process to open company records in the Soto v. Bushmaster case brought by some parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook School tragedy. Judge Barbara Bellis wrote that because she will not rule on the defendants’ motion to strike the case until fall, she would not delay discovery in order to keep the case moving forward. The NSSF’s Larry Keane provides perspective in this news account.
NSSF BRIEF DEFENDS INDIANA PLCAA STATUTE . . . NSSF has filed a friend of the court brief in a case before the Indiana Supreme Court, arguing the state’s PLCAA statute reflects the legislature’s intent to protect firearm manufacturers and sellers from the burden of litigating responsibility for harm caused when criminals misuse firearms. This statute is also under attack in the ongoing City of Gary litigation, in which the U.S. Department of Justice recently stepped in to defend the constitutionality of the federal PLCAA.
#GUNVOTE
#GUNVOTE GO-TO SOURCE THROUGH ELECTION . . . To help you evaluate candidates’ positions on Second Amendment and sportsmen’s issues, NSSF provides #GUNVOTE. This voter education site is updated many times a week with news of interest. It is your go-to source throughout this election year. #GUNVOTE also provides election news and breaking updates on Facebook and on Twitter (@GUNVOTE).
ADVANCE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE MAKING ON SUPPRESSOR MARKING . . . ATF last week also issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making seeking comment on whether it should publish a rule specifying where on a suppressor legally required markings should be placed. NSSF is studying the proposal and will send ATF comments.
Retailers/Ranges
HANDLING SOCIAL MEDIA’S NEGATIVE SIDE . . . Uh-oh, a quick review of your social media accounts tells you the dreaded “Pitchfork Nation” has visited your pages. They left a mess in their wake, with comments unflattering to your business. You know what you want to do, especially when you know the criticisms are unfounded and the comments are otherwise rude, but what should you do as a business owner and professional? Learn more.
JOHN BOCKER JOINS NSSF COMPLIANCE AND STORE SECURITY TEAMS . . . NSSF is pleased to announce that John Bocker has joined both the organization’s ATF Compliance Consultant and Store Security teams. Bocker is the founder and CEO of JB Group, LLC, a Denver-based risk management and security consulting firm. His specialties include strategic planning, risk assessment, asset protection, operational and compliance auditing, profit improvement and complex investigations. Read more.
ATF Q&A . . . Many great questions came in on our 24/7 NSSF member compliance hotline last week. One question asks if an approved Request and Approved for Permanent Change of Station is sufficient proof of residency. Another question asks if there is a dealer’s license available to engage in business only at gun shows.
DID YOU KNOW? . . . NSSF members receive a 15 percent discount on any orders from an NSSF affinity benefit partner that specializes in video surveillance security solutions. Cutting-edge IP video, hybrid solutions and access control as well as superior customer service and strategic industry partnerships, result in customized video surveillance solutions that help businesses succeed. Learn more.
Events
FICC HITS BULLSEYE . . . The 2016 Firearms Industry Compliance Conference, co-hosted by Orchid Advisors and NSSF last week in Atlanta, received high praise for providing manufacturers, distributors, importers exporters, wholesalers and retailers with a comprehensive learning experience focused on regulations, developments in product research and issues that affect FFLs, and the processes and technologies they are using to improve their businesses. “We were very pleased to see the high level of interaction between the FFLs and the presenting speakers,” said Larry Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.”
REGISTER FOR 2016 IMPORT/EXPORT CONFERENCE . . . This year’s NSSF-FAIR Trade Import/Export Conference, August 2-3 in Washington, D.C., will again offer roundtable sessions with ATF, including Imports Branch, National Firearms Act Branch, Firearms Technology Branch, Firearms Industry Programs Branch, eForms and Compliance, as well as with Commerce Department BIS Munitions Control Licensing Division, State Department DDTC, Customs and Border Protection, Treasury’s Tax and Trade Bureau, and Census Bureau’s Automated Export System. Register now for early-bird pricing.
NSSF AWARDS COLLEGIATE SHOOTING SPORTS INITIATIVE GRANTS, ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR 2016-’17 . . . NSSF is pleased to announce that it has selected 11 institutes of higher learning to receive grants in support of the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative covering the 2015-’16 academic year. This program works to encourage team shooting participation for those attending colleges and universities across the nation, and the grants, up to $100,000 each year, are intended to be used for the creation of new university shooting programs and teams. NSSF is now taking grant proposal applications to be awarded for the 2016-’17 academic year. Read more.
Shooting Sports Grant Programs
EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION OPENS FOR 2017 INDUSTRY DAY AT THE RANGE . . . CMG Marketing & Events and Triple Curl Advertising and PR have announced that exhibitor registration has opened for the 2017 Industry Day at the Range. NSSF, as always, is the event’s top sponsor, continuing a long tradition of work with this event that provides a unique experience to exhibitors, media and buyers leading up to the annual SHOT Show.
MAGPUL RENEWS BRONZE SPONSORSHIP OF NSSF INDUSTRY SUMMIT, SIGNS AS PLATINUM SPONSOR OF IMPORT/EXPORT CONFERENCE . . . NSSF is pleased to announce that Magpul Industries has agreed to renew its sponsorship the 2016 NSSF Industry Summit at the Bronze level. It has further agreed to be the Platinum sponsor of this summer’s annual Import/Export Conference. Headquartered in Texas, with manufacturing and shipping facilities in Wyoming, Magpul is a maker and distributor of premium modern sporting rifles and accessories. Read more.
NSSF’S ANNUAL BOY SCOUTS GRANT PROGRAM KICKS INTO GEAR . . . As part of an annual program that encourages youth participation in the shooting sports, NSSF is once again partnering with Boy Scouts of America Councils. Through this partnership, BSA Councils can receive a portion of $100,000 in grant funds provided by NSSF to develop or expand their troop activities in target shooting and marksmanship. Target shooting programs continue to rank among Scouting’s most popular activities, teaching firearms and range safety, teamwork building and fundraising skills. Read more.
News of Note
DEVELOPING AN APPRECIATION FOR CONSERVATION SCIENCE . . . On the fourth day of spring, NSSF joined biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to see conservation science in action through the state’s black bear project. The science, vital to health of wildlife, is paid for by Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds, which are the result of excise taxes on the sale of firearms, ammunition, archery and fishing equipment, and motorboat fuel. Learn more.
KEANE TALKS TO RADIO HOST MEGHAN MCCAIN ABOUT SMART GUNS . . . NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane was a guest on the nationally syndicated America Now with Meghan McCain program last week. The topic was authorized-user technology “smart guns” and the Obama administration’s recent executive actions to potentially involve law enforcement and the Department of Defense in the acquisition of firearms equipped with this nascent technology. Listen to the program segment.
NSSF IN THE NEWS . . . The Washington Post, Townhall.com, U.S. News and World Report, Breitbart, The Blaze, Florida Today, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream and many other news outlets across the country included NSSF in their coverage in recent days. Popular topics included business trends, industry economic impact, smart guns, ATF/NSSF Matching Rewards Program, Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act and more. View a full wrap-up of NSSF in the News.