Bullet Points

[NSSF]

Vol. 6 No. 51 December 19, 2005

You'll find Bullet Points on the NSSF Web site each week at http://www.nssf.org




Families Afield
Makes Rapid Progress


PENN., WIS., OHIO BILLS . . . Families Afield, the program of NSSF, the National Wild Turkey Federation and U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance aimed at eliminating unnecessary barriers for sons and daughters to hunt with their parents, enjoyed a banner week in several state legislatures last week. Legislation in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio all made significant progress, with Pennsylvania’s HB 1690 being the first Families Afield legislation to reach a governor’s desk.



SRP COMMENCES FIRE . . . NSSF's Scholastic Rifle Program is kicking off its 2006 season. This year's program handbook and online registration are available at www.nssf.org/SRP. SRP is a great opportunity for youths to compete as a team in an action-packed .22 rim-fire rifle event. The program is focused on providing a safe and fun way for elementary- through high-school age youths to enjoy the shooting sports.

LOCATION SET FOR SCTP NATIONALS . . . NSSF’s Scholastic Clay Target Program will hold its National Skeet and Sporting Clays Championships July 14-16 at Rochester Brooks International Trap and Skeet Club in Rochester, N.Y. In 2005, the event attracted SCTP teams from a record 15 states to the Detroit Gun Club in Michigan. Though a majority of SCTP shooters participate in trap, the number of skeet and sporting clays participants is quickly on the rise. Nationally, there were 933 participants in sporting clays this year and 923 in skeet, compared to 331 in sporting clays and 366 skeet participants in 2004. In trapshooting, the program has grown to more than 5,500 participants.

SAN FRANCISCO UPDATE . . . A lawsuit challenging San Francisco’s gun ban will first need to be heard by a trial court, the California Court of Appeals has ruled. The National Rifle Association, along with the California Association of Firearms Retailers and others, filed the suit in November after the city voted to ban the possession of handguns and the sale and manufacture of firearms within city and county limits. The lawsuit says the ban—Proposition H—clearly violates state laws and also violates the state and federal guarantees of equal protection.

GUN TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION . . . New York is considering legislation on illegal gun trafficking that could seriously impact licensed firearms dealers as well as the rights of law-abiding gun owners. The legislation is being aimed at severely punishing illegal gun traffickers, but Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-64) is pressing for it to include strict and unnecessary guidelines for licensed firearms dealers. New Yorkers are encouraged to contact their state senator and voice their opposition.

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES . . . The benefits of belonging to NSSF, the trade association for the firearms, hunting and shooting sports industry, are many, as thousands of individuals and companies have discovered. In fact, current membership stands at more than 2,800, reports Bettyjane Swann, NSSF manager of member services, with more than 1,000 new members enrolling in the last 12 months. SHOT Show offers some of those member benefits, including preference points for booth selection and admittance to both the Members Lounge and Business Center. For more information on how to become a member, contact bswann@nssf.org or 203-426-1320.

BEWARE OF 'OFFICIAL' SHOT SHOW SOLICITATIONS . . . NSSF is the owner and sponsor of the SHOT Show®, and Reed Exhibitions is the producer and manager. Exhibitors and attendees should exercise caution in dealing with unofficial and unauthorized vendors that display the SHOT Show name and trademark. If you have any question as to the legitimacy of a company’s “official” SHOT Show status, check “Section 5: Official Contractors” in the “Exhibitor Service Manual,” available at www.shotshow.org.

TRACKING DOWN LOOTED GUNS . . . More than 600 firearms were looted from Louisiana pawnshops, stores and other gun dealers after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, reports The Times-Picayune. Local law enforcement agencies and Crimestoppers Inc. are teaming up to track down the stolen firearms. Rewards of up to $2,500 are being offered for the arrest and indictment of individuals responsible for the thefts from 20 businesses in the New Orleans area. Rewards are also being offered to the public for the recovery of the stolen guns.

DEMOCRATS RETHINK STRATEGY . . . The Democratic Party is rethinking its approach on the gun debate, reports The Boston Globe. By softening their rhetoric on gun control, Democrats are hoping to improve their chances in Western states, where hunters have been reluctant to vote for the party’s candidates.

LEFT OF CENTER . . . A UCLA political scientist has confirmed what we in the firearms industry have known all along—that the mainstream media does indeed have a liberal bias. "I suspected that many media outlets would tilt to the left because surveys have shown that reporters tend to vote more Democrat than Republican," said Tim Groseclose, a UCLA political scientist and the study's lead author. "But I was surprised at just how pronounced the distinctions are." Read more about the study.

TOP GUN . . . The Air Force Services Agency has named pistol shooter Maj. Roger Sherman its 2005 Male Athlete of the Year. Sherman is a member of the Air Force Action Pistol Team, which is comprised of some of the Air Force’s top shooters. Sherman is the only military servicemember selected to the U.S. Practical Shooting National team and finished sixth of 700 competitors at the U.S. Practical Shooting Association National Handgun Championship and was a bronze medalist at the world championship. Sherman is a special assistant to the commander of U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

WORK OF STATE CAUCUSES CONTINUES IN NEW YEAR . . . At the approach of the 2006 legislative session in state capitols across the nation, state sportsmen’s caucuses have their eye on nearly 500 pieces of legislation that have been pre-filed or will carry over from the 2005 legislative session, reports the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses. Relaxing age barriers to young hunters and Internet hunting bans are two of the most widespread focuses of legislation, and the importance of the 26 state sportsmen’s caucuses already formed is hinted at by the number of bills to be considered.

GUN LAWS AT WORK . . . Federal agents and New York City police cooperated on a bust of a gun and drug trafficking ring, leading to 16 arrested, including some who were members of the notorious Bloods street gang. According to the New York Post, some 50 guns were seized before they could be sold on the streets.

WOODPECKER COMEBACK . . . Hunters are being credited with the reemergence of the ivory-billed woodpecker—presumed to be extinct for 60 years—in the Big Woods section of Arkansas, reports Reuters. Scott Simon of The Nature Conservancy said hunters and others helped save the bird in large part by buying Duck Stamps. Funding generated from the stamps added up to $41 million to reclaim much of the habitat of the bird.

NEW MEXICO IDs CWD IN WILD ELK . . . Two wild elk in New Mexico’s southern Sacramento Mountains have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, the first elk in the state to have done so. Both elk were killed southeast of Cloudcroft, the same area where a mule deer recently tested positive for CWD. One of the elk, a mature bull, was shot by a hunter. The other was found in poor condition by a state conservation officer.

IHEA SEEKS EXECTUVE VICE PRESIDENT . . . The International Hunter Education Association, the official organization representing the interests of 69 state, provincial and federal hunter education coordinators, and 70,000 hunter education instructors who teach hunter safety, ethics and conservation, is seeking candidates for its executive vice president position. The job entails directing the affairs of IHEA out of its Wellington, Colo. office.

TICKETS GOING FAST . . . Tickets to the SHOT Show State of the Industry Dinner-Concert Gala are going fast. The Feb. 9 event at the Las Vegas Hilton will feature a Time4Outdoors-sponsored performance from country superstar Lee Ann Womack, NSSF president Doug Painter's annual state-of-the-industry address, a cocktail reception sponsored by Ducks Unlimited and a multi-course dinner. To reserve a ticket, click here.

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