Bullet Points

[NSSF]

Vol. 5 No. 13 March 29, 2004


FIREARM ACCIDENTS MUST BE PREVENTED

SAFE STORAGE AND SAFE HANDLING ARE KEY . . . On Friday, the .357 magnum ammunition in a revolver kept loaded and stashed for the past two weeks in a Texas woman's oven "cooked off" when she heated the oven to make dinner. The odd circumstances don't make the accident funny, because one of the exploding rounds launched a bullet into her leg. More tragic is another story this week, that of a Detroit woman who found a 12 gauge shotgun under a couch, and with her finger on the trigger cycled the action to see if it was loaded. The round she put in the chamber fired and killed her roommate's 1-year old daughter. The industry has long recommended that unattended firearms be stored safely, locked away unloaded and with ammunition kept separate. Check the NSSF Web site for safety materials that include videos for people of all ages and experience with firearms, plus a variety of printed material, too.


SAFETY MILESTONES . . . At the end of March 2004, it is estimated that Project ChildSafe trucks will have visited 11,124 communities in 44 states and distributed 8.7 million sets of firearm locks and safety literature in a $50 million program administered by NSSF, the firearms industry's trade association. This month, U.S. Attorney J. Strom Thurmond launched South Carolina's participation in the program. Lt. Governors Dianne Denish, Amy Tuck and Mark Taylor welcomed the safety trucks to New Mexico, Mississippi and Georgia, respectively. Governor Bob Holden launched Missouri's tour, and Lt. Goverrnor Jane Norton just last week helped kick-off a 22-day-long swing by the trucks through Colorado. Each event was attended by partnering local law enforcement officials, and Project ChildSafe is among the U.S. Justice Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods partners.



Bids will close at the end of the month on this special limited edition .45 Colt Single Action with a 4-3/4" barrel. Learn more about it and preserving American's Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage at http://www.hsshf.org.

PROMOTE OUR HUNTING AND SHOOTING SPORTS HERITAGE . . . There are just two days left in the March auction of a Doug Turnbull Custom Single Action in .45 Colt produced by US Firearms Manufacturing. Turnbull Restoration specializes in the accurate recreation of historical metal finishes on period firearms. Turnbull's museum- quality work and attention to detail provide some of the finest and most sought after collectible firearms available. Their contribution to the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund and passion for fine guns are sure to help creating a lasting legacy in our American firearms traditions. Don’t miss the opportunity to win this quality cowboy action shooting iron with a finish that is sure to bring you back to the Old West. To view this auction in progress, please click here.

WORKING FOR WILDLIFE . . . When it comes to wildlife and natural resources conservation, the firearms industry is proudly working side by side with federal and state agencies and non-profit conservation organizations to support a variety of conservation programs that ultimately benefit hunters, target shooters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts. That industry is dedicated to this effort was a message heard by conservation professionals and others at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Spokane, Washington, last week. Jodi Valenta, NSSF's recruitment and retention director, noted that this year alone the firearms industry will provide state fish and wildlife agencies with more than $1 million in support through NSSF's Hunting Heritage Partnership grant program, its "STEP OUTSIDE and introduce a newcomer program," and hunter recruitment and retention initiatives. These funds, along with support provided by hunters and targets shooters through self-imposed excise taxes on sporting arms, ammunition and archery equipment, and on handguns, help benefit wildlife habitat restoration and research, ultimately ensuring that future generations will enjoy wildlife as much as we do today.

SUPPORT FOR HUNTING PROGRAMS . . . In partnership with the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, NSSF has instituted the Hunting Heritage Partnership Program to provide direct funding in the form of grants to state wildlife agencies for programs specifically designed to enhance hunter recruitment and retention. State wildlife agencies provide the “gateway” to hunting for a large majority of hunters and many agencies have good ideas on how to increase participation. However, many agencies today are severely financially strapped and do not have the funds to initiate new efforts that could stimulate increased hunting activity in their states. Hunting Heritage Partnership is considering proposals to fund projects that increase hunter access, retention, recruitment, and/or communications programs geared toward retaining or recruiting hunters. For more information, visit the NSSF Web site, http://www.nssf.org/grants to prepare materials due April 1, 2004, or contact Jodi Valenta at (203) 426-1320 or with e-mail to her at jvalenta@nssf.org.

RANGE PRESERVATION SEMINARS . . . Attendance is a must for those who want to stay ahead of the issues threatening successful operation of your range. Texas range managers and shooting grounds owners, please contact Steve Hall at (512) 389 4568 to sign up for the April 21 Best Management Practices for Shooting Ranges seminar. Sponsored by the National Association of Shooting Ranges, the Grand Prairie Gun Club and the Dallas Arms Gun Collector’s Association, Inc., it's a half day seminar focusing on how to create an environmental stewardship plan. For western Pennsylvania's seminars April 24-25 at different locations, call Lisa Diehl at 717-232-3480 to use a major credit card and register. Learn about successful management techniques, community relations, risk assessment, lead migration, range insurance, and other topics vital to the survival of your facility.

APRIL IS HERE . . . The newest edition of SHOT Business magazine will soon be arriving in mail boxes, and anything you might have missed at the SHOT Show could be on its pages. April is chock full of new product announcements. Business owners will also see some tips about places, other than in your own business, where you should diversify your investing, and those places to avoid. Be sure your subscription is up-to-date with a visit to the Web site at http://www.shotbusiness.com . Anyone involved in the retail sale of firearms is likely to qualify for a free subscription.

MORE DEALER BENEFITS . . . Federally licensed firearms dealers in Kentucky are invited to benefit from a partnership focusing on reducing the criminal misuse of firearms through guidance and education on the rules and regulations governing their sale and transfer. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, The National Shooting Sports Foundation, and The National Criminal Instant Background Check System (NICS), are jointly sponsoring a firearms dealers awareness seminar Wednesday, April 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Lexington. This special invitation is extended only to federally licensed firearm dealers and their employees, who can learn more about it with a visit to the National Association of Firearms Retailers Web site.


ENFORCING EXISTING LAWS

FEDEX, DYE AND FEDERAL CHARGES . . . When Charter 2000 noticed firearms missing from shipments in February, federal authorities were notified. The Connecticut Post reports a Federal Express investigation led to the arrest of two FedEx package handlers on charges of theft of firearms traveling in interstate commerce. Two 18 year olds from New Haven, CT, face ten years in prison and a quarter million dollars in fines after their arrest by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. After a "baited" package, a gun case rigged with an exploding container of fluorescent dye, was opened as it passed through their work location, a FedEx security manager observed the pair marked with dye. Agents say authorities recovered one stolen revolver and the men have admitted to their crimes.

FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC? . . Federal law prohibits convicted felons from owning firearms, with the rare exception for certain corporate or foreign trade convictions. But now the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case where an American convicted of a felony in Japan was arrested after purchasing a firearm in the United States because he answered "no" to the felony question on the Form 4473 in 1998. Gary Sherwood Small's attorney argues in the appeal of his conviction, "It would make no sense that Congress intended to give someone less protection when his conviction was obtained in Iraq, Afghanistan or some foreign jurisdiction as opposed to a court in the United States." The Associated Press has the full story.

CWD NEWS

For the latest information about Chronic Wasting Disease, check the NSSF-supported CWD-Info Web site's News and Updates section.

MYSTERY SOLVED . . . Wyoming researchers are relieved to discover that a die-off among elk migrating from Colorado has been traced to a native lichen they ate, which local animals can digest with no ill effects. The Associated Press reports the primitive plant contains an acid that Wyoming elk are able to digest, perhaps with the help of microorganisms in their guts that were not established in migratory animals. About 300 perished.

RETIRING . . . Mr. Bobby Acord, Administrator of APHIS, retired March 23. Throughout his career at APHIS, Acord worked very hard to build partnerships to address animal disease issues. As co-chair of the National CWD Task Force, he insured that the important issues were addressed and that all efforts to combat CWD were coordinated through the state fish and wildlife agencies. NSSF wishes him well in his retirement.

NEBRASKA CWD. . . An additional CWD case is reported from Sheridan County, a mule deer buck observed exhibiting clinical signs by a Nebraska Conservation Officer, which later tested positive for CWD. Additionally, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission collected 26 deer from an area approximately 10 miles east of Alliance, where four CWD positives were reported from the November hunting season. Results from IHC confirmation found an additional 3 positives in the 26.

AROUND THE INTERNET

LOTT'S TO SAY . . . Prolific author John Lott currently has two interesting articles adorning Web sites, both about the mistake of confusing hardware with human intentions. For The Australian, he writes with tongue-in-cheek about the nearly unbelievable attempt to prevent crime "down under" with new restrictions on laser pointers and swords. For National Review Online, he opines that gun controllers in the U.S. have resigned themselves to the sun-setting of the "ban" on "assault weapons" because what little credibility they have left with lawmakers is on the line. Ten years after the Crime Bill enactment defining some semi-automatics as "assault weapons," Lott reminds us that not a single academic study can show gun control has had an effect on crime.

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