Obama Administration Shows Anti-Gun Cards - Early as Gun Sales Continue to Rise

Vol. 9, No. 46 - November 10, 2008

As firearm sales continue to increase this year, at a rate of 10 percent over the same period last year and 15 percent in October alone, the National Shooting Sports Foundation is pointing to gun-owner concerns about an Obama administration as reason for the boom. "The increase in firearm sales was predictable," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "It's clear from President-Elect Obama's voting record, and the promises that he continues to make, that gun control will be coming back to the White House. Eloquent rhetoric notwithstanding, sportsmen, gun owners and prospective gun owners recognize this and are reacting accordingly." Read how Obama's gun-control agenda has disappeared from his Web site.

BACKGROUND CHECKS JUMP IN MONTH BEFORE ELECTION . . . Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) show 1,183,279 background checks were performed on the sale of firearms in October, a 15.4 percent increase from the 1,025,123 reported in October 2007. Adjusted state figures show background checks up 15.6 percent during the month. A total of 9,655,962 background checks have been reported by NICS so far this year. The increase coincides with an uptick in excise taxes reported by firearms and ammunition manufacturers, another key economic indicator for the firearms industry.

Inside the Industry

NSSF ISSUES STATEMENT ON CDC STUDY RESULTS . . . NSSF has issued a statement in response to study results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- released by the North Dakota Department of Health -- showing that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose any health risk. NSSF is pleased that hunters and others can now comfortably continue consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition that has been properly field dressed and butchered.

NASGW INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS . . . At its annual expo last week in Atlanta, the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) announced the 2008 winners of its Industry Achievement Awards. The association presented Glock with its Chairman's Award for Industry Leadership, Sturm, Ruger & Co. with Firearms Manufacturer of the Year, Birchwood Casey with Accessory Manufacturer of the Year and Winchester with Ammunition Manufacturer of the Year.

RSR GROUP NAMES WEISENFORD CEO . . . JoAnn Weisenford has been appointed CEO and president of distributor RSR Group Inc., the company's board of directors announced. Said Bob Steger, RSR board chairman, "RSR is in very good hands under JoAnn's leadership. JoAnn has been a key board member for more than 15 years and, as COO, she has been a driving force behind RSR's success. I look forward to working with her to expand our successful relationships with our customers and our vendors." Weisenford joined RSR in 1989.

ATK RECEIVES $88.5M IN NEW MEDIUM-CALIBER ORDERS . . . Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) has received a total of $88.5 million in new medium-caliber gun and ammunition orders. The company said the orders are in addition to a previously announced $53 million contract. The orders were received from a variety of domestic and international customers.

ATF OPEN LETTER ON REVISED FORM 4473 . . . As reported in Bullet Points previously, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is pushing back the date by which the revised and updated Form 4473 must be used to Jan. 15, 2009, from Nov. 15, 2008, because of objections from dealers about implementing a new form during hunting season. ATF on Tuesday issued an open letter to FFLs further explaining the date change.

SHOT Show

OUTDOOR CHANNEL, NSSF EXTEND SHOT SHOW TV AGREEMENT . . . Outdoor Channel has signed a five-year contract renewal with NSSF to produce SHOT Show TV, the program that captures all of the excitement at NSSF's SHOT Show®. For the past five years, Outdoor Channel has produced SHOT Show TV exclusively for hotel guest rooms surrounding the host convention center, but in 2009 Outdoor Channel will take it a step further. The network will expand the reach of SHOT Show TV by airing updates online at www.outdoorchannel.com, producing special video-on-demand (VOD) pieces for cable affiliates and airing a SHOT Show special on its linear channel. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Outdoor Channel to provide our exhibitors and attendees with the very best coverage of the SHOT Show," said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president. "With Outdoor Channel's support, we can also share the excitement of being on the SHOT Show floor with millions of sportsmen across the country and preview the largest showcase of shooting, hunting and outdoor products in the world." For information about advertising on SHOT Show TV, contact Jessie Steward via e-mail at jsteward@outdoorchannel.com or call (530) 546-7455.

FIREARMS RETAILERS: DON'T MISS SHOT SHOW UNIVERSITY JAN. 14 . . . SHOT Show University, NSSF's series of educational seminars on topics most requested by firearms retailers, is a full-day opportunity to learn from the experts and network with fellow retailers, NSSF staff and others. In 2008, SHOT Show University experienced a record year attracting a sell-out crowd. So don't wait to reserve your spot.

Shooting & Hunting

EMMONS WINS GOLD, TWO SILVERS IN WORLD CUP FINAL . . . Two-time Olympian Matt Emmons of Browns Mills, N.J., earned three medals at the 2008 ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup Final in Bangkok, Thailand, held Nov. 3-5. His precious metal and medal acquisitions began with a silver in the Men's 50m Prone Rifle events, escalated to gold in the Men's 50m 3 Position and ended with more silver, that time in the Men's Air Rifle event. Emmons' gold medal performance evoked a feeling of deja vu, because he took this title at the same range in 2004 and 2007.

CAMP PERRY NEW FACILITY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ON SATURDAY . . . The Ohio Army National Guard and Civilian Marksmanship Program are opening the doors of the new Marksmanship Center to the public on Saturday, Nov. 15. The state-of-the-art marksmanship training facility, completed this past summer, will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

RETIRED EDUCATOR GETS SPECIAL STUDENTS OUTDOORS . . . Perhaps the best in public education is personified in yesterday's Syracuse Post-Standard article about a recently retired special education teaching assistant who, in her last years of work, gathered students, many of whom "no one else wanted to handle," and formed The Great Outdoors Club. The group was introduced to hunting, trapping, fishing and other outdoor activities, and was supported not only by teaching assistant Lin Menninger but also by gun clubs and hunter education instructors.

NEW GUIDE TO HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES ON WILDLIFE REFUGES . . . The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has posted on its Web site, in PDF format, the first comprehensive guide to hunting opportunities throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System. More than 300 hunting programs are covered. The bulk of the guide is organized by state. The guide highlights species that can be hunted and offers directions to the refuges.

Jobs

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.