Vol. 09 No. 31 – July 28, 2008

''THE FIREARMS FAIRNESS AND AFFORDABILITY ACT' . . . Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), co-chairmen of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, have introduced legislation, "The Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act," seeking to rectify a longstanding inequity in the collection of the firearms and ammunition excise tax (FAET) -- a major source of wildlife conservation funding. This bill would allow the firearms and ammunition industry to pay the FAET on a quarterly basis. NSSF has been leading a broad coalition of sportsmen and conservation groups in an effort to reform the federal excise tax. A companion bill, H.R. 6310, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last month.

FUTURE OF SHOOTING ON DISPLAY IN ILLINOIS . . . A record turnout of more than 2,100 young trap, skeet and sporting clays shooters is expected at NSSF's Scholastic Clay Target Program National Championships July 31 to Aug. 5 at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill. The big event will culminate another record-setting year for the NSSF program, with 9,135 young shooters competing and 1,562 adults volunteering as coaches and directors -- both new records. As the Olympics prepare to showcase shooters among the world's athletic elite, SCTP is not only celebrating record participation, but also its influence on the Games in Beijing.

SHOOTING INDUSTRY MASTERS . . . FMG Publications staged another outstanding Shooting Industry Masters last Friday and Saturday at The Hartford Gun Club in East Granby, Conn. Dubbed the "Shootout in Gun Valley," the friendly competition among industry teams drew a record turnout and helped raise funds and awareness for NSSF's STEP OUTSIDE program, which works to develop new shooters and gets inactive shooters pulling triggers again. Results from the shoot are still being tabulated and will be posted on Shooting Industry magazine's Web site. At a Friday evening reception, the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence Awards were presented, with Bob Hodgdon, of Hodgdon Powder Co., earning the Shooting Industry Award honoring an individual who has made valuable contributions to the firearms industry. The full list of award winners will be on the Web site, too.

NSSF ASKS INDUSTRY TO PROMOTE EFFORT . . . NSSF has launched a new campaign to help sportsmen and sportswomen register to vote this election year. Industry companies are encouraged to help spread the word by adding the logo illustrated here along with the campaign's Web site address -- www.nssf.org/register -- to their Web sites to encourage their customers to register to vote.

N.Y. GOVERNOR SIGNS JUNIOR HUNTER MENTORING BILL . . . Gov. David A. Paterson signed into law a bill that creates a special junior hunter mentoring program that will allow 14- and 15-year-olds in New York to hunt big game with a firearm while accompanied and supervised by an experienced adult hunter. The minimum age for unsupervised big-game hunting with a firearm remains at 16, the oldest such minimum in the nation. The new program makes New York the twenty-seventh state to adopt some form of Families Afield legislation.

24 DAYS AND COUNTING . . . On July 4, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane sent presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) a letter asking whether he still believes his hometown of Chicago can ban law-abiding citizens their Second Amendment right to own firearms, including handguns, in their homes. The NSSF letter followed the landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court affirming that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. To date, NSSF has not received a response from Sen. Obama or his campaign. As Sen. Obama continues to dodge questions related to the Second Amendment, the senator's hometown of Chicago is continuing to enforce their unconstitutional gun ban and Washington, D.C., is attempting to circumvent the Supreme Court decision -- a move which has led to another lawsuit against the Capitol City.

NEW PROGRAM ISSUES SPORTSMEN'S ALERTS . . . The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance has announced the creation of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alert Network, which is intended to inform and unite sportsmen through e-mail news releases and the weekly "On Target" electronic newsletter. The network is communicating with nearly 400,000 people. Those not in the network can submit their e-mail address and indication of interest to info@ussportsmen.org or complete an online form by clicking on "New User Registration."

WINCHESTER AMMO SALES UP 16 PERCENT IN SECOND QUARTER . . . Second-quarter sales in Olin Corp.'s (NYSE:OLN) Winchester ammunition division were up 16 percent to $116.1 million, compared with $99.8 million in the same period a year ago. Winchester segment income for the second quarter was a record $9.5 million, compared to $5.6 million in the second quarter of 2007.

THEME, DATES SET FOR 2009 'NORTH AMERICAN' . . . The 74th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference has been scheduled for March 17-21, 2009, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. Its theme will be "Refining the Relevance of Resource Management," and four special sessions have been planned to follow the opening session.

NBC ANNOUNCES OLYMPIC TV/INTERNET COVERAGE . . . USA Shooting, the governing body of America's Olympic shooting sports program, has circulated eight tips on taking advantage of telecasts on seven NBC networks, on-demand access online and schedules and alerts. The USA Shooting Web site offers a complete NBC broadcast schedule for the Beijing games, with shooting events highlighted, as well as a complete shooting competition schedule.

Sights on Beijing: A Look at America's Olympic Shooters . . . With the 2008 Olympics just weeks away, Bullet Points each week will offer a brief look at the U.S. Olympic team shooters headed to Beijing. This week are the pistol shooters.

LIBBY CALLAHAN . . . Event: Women's Sport Pistol. Hometown: Columbia, S.C. Age: 56. Retired as a lieutenant in the patrol department with the Washington, D.C. Police Force. After learning to shoot with the D.C. police department in 1980, she went on to become a five-time women's police revolver champion and a four-time women's police service revolver champion. At age 52, Callahan was the oldest U.S. Olympic Team member in 2004. Now 56, she will once again become the oldest known American woman to compete for the U.S. at an Olympic Games (winter or summer) in Beijing.

BEKI SNYDER . . . Event: Women's Sport Pistol. Hometown: Grand Junction, Colo. Age: 32. Learned to shoot from her father when she was 12. Snyder has competed for the United States in three Olympic Games: 1996, 2000 and 2004. She lettered in diving in high school and has a black belt in taekwondo. She also enjoys snowboarding in her free time.

DARYL SZARENSKI . . . Event: Men's Free Pistol. Hometown: Saginaw, Mich. Age: 40. Began shooting in 1979 when his father enrolled him in a junior shooting program and earned a rifle scholarship to Tennessee Tech University, where he was a member of both the pistol and rifle teams. A member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, Szarenski is a two-time Olympian who recently claimed the bronze medal at the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 ISSF World Cup, the first World Cup medal won by a U.S. shooter in Men's Free Pistol since 2000.

JASON TURNER . . . Event: Men's Free Pistol. Hometown: Rochester, N.Y. Age: 33. A member of the 2004 Olympic Team. Turner secured two spots on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, in Men's 10m Air Pistol as well as Men's 50m Free Pistol, finishing in first place at both Olympic Trials. He shot rifle competitively before switching to pistol.

KEITH SANDERSON . . . Event: Men's Rapid Fire Pistol. Hometown: San Antonio, Texas. Age: 33. Started shooting in 1996 in Marine Corps matches. He spent eight years of active duty in the Marine Corps and is currently assigned to active duty infantry in the U.S. Army. His goal of clinching an Olympic quota slot for the U.S. was realized on the 2007 World Cup circuit, and recently Keith reached another major goal -- making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS TRACK OLYMPIC SHOOTING EVENTS WITH USA SHOOTING . . . To help industry and consumers follow the progress of the U.S. Olympic team during the 2008 games, USA Shooting has developed a Web site that will provide easy access to the latest news, athlete profiles and scores. But it needs your help to get the word out about the Web site. To help, USA Shooting has developed a graphic that can be easily uploaded and placed on a company's Web sites. "We only have this chance once every four years to celebrate our sports and our athletes as they compete in the Olympic Games," said Buddy DuVall, USA Shooting's director of marketing. "The games offer a huge opportunity for the shooting industry. The positive stories about the shooting sports that result from our participation will surely inspire future Olympic dreams and help provide a better understanding of our sports with the general public. We just want to make sure these stories and competition updates are easily available to anyone with an interest. With industry's support, we can do just that." Learn more about the campaign.

BROWNELLS 2009 GUNSMITH CAREER FAIR DATES SET . . . The third annual Gunsmith Career Fair presented by Brownells has been scheduled for April 17 and 18, 2009, at the Meadows Event and Conference Center at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona, Iowa. The 2009 event, aimed at established gunsmiths, gunsmithing students and firearms dealers, will feature a new component to provide existing gun shop owners and gunsmiths with education and ideas on how to grow and expand their business. Watch a video from last year's event.

INDUSTRY CAREER CONNECTION . . . Visit www.nssf.org/jobs for current employment opportunities in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. Employers: Log in to post a job opening.