With firearm sales continuing to surge across the country, NSSF® President and CEO Joe Bartozzi welcomes millions of first-time gun buyers to the community of firearm owners in a new video and offers tips on how to safely enjoy the shooting sports.
In “Welcome to the Community of Gun Owners,” Bartozzi says those new to the world of ownership will find this community to be friendly and supportive, and that training and education should be high on the list of must-dos for any newcomer.
“As a first-time gun owner, you’re going to want to spend time practicing with your new firearm … improving your gun-handling and marksmanship skills … and to educate [yourself] about personal and home protection, and to learn about keeping our guns securely stored and out of the wrong hands,” Bartozzi says in the video.
Firearm safety is every gun owner’s primary responsibility, emphasizes Bartozzi, a lifelong target shooter and hunter. As gun owners, “you and I are responsible for safely handling, transporting and storing our firearms when they’re not in use.” He notes that NSSF’s Project ChildSafe® program can help gun owners determine the safe storage device suitable for their lifestyle and budget.
New gun owners are reminded that shooting ranges are a great place to try out many target-shooting sports and enjoy events such as date nights and shooting leagues, and test your skills in competition. Newcomers are encouraged to watch NSSF’s Range Safety and Etiquette video. And since it can be a challenge for newcomers to find out about all the shooting sports can offer, NSSF covers the bases with two great resources, LetsGoShooting.org and LetsGoHunting.org.
“The most important thing to know as a newcomer is that you’re an important part of our community,” says Bartozzi. “You represent both the present and the future of the shooting sports.” He encourages first-time owners to become a “powerful voice for responsible firearm ownership.”
Project ChildSafe has distributed more than 40 million firearm safety kits since its inception to help prevent firearm accidents, thefts and misuse, including suicide.
Support Project ChildSafe at ProjectChildSafe.org/donate.
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About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.