Bullet Points

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Subject: Bullet Points 05-10-04
Date: May 10, 2004 4:37 PM
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Vol. 5 No. 18 May 10, 2004



Olympic shooting sports medallist Kim Rhode provides one-on-one coaching to St. Louis area radio station executive Craig Unger at Winchester's range.

SHOOTING INDUSTRY LEADER EMBRACES NSSF AIMING FOR ACCURACY PROGRAM

Supports Bringing Home Positive Image of Recreational Shooting

Ammunition manufacturer Olin Winchester last week hosted an Aiming for Accuracy media seminar for St. Louis area journalists and broadcasters, becoming the first member company to locally adopt the NSSF program. Aiming for Accuracy provides to reporters those positive aspects of the shooting sports and draws attention to contributions companies like Winchester make to the economy. In addition to providing a relaxed and enjoyable experience on the range, journalists learned about the many jobs nationally dependant on hunting and the shooting sports, plus the importance of Winchester's payroll and tax payments to the local economy. Olympic shooters Kim Rhode and Melissa McConnell were joined by shooting coach Lloyd Woodhouse, recently named National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee, to assist media attendees. Cowboy action shooter Richard "Tequila" Young and champion shooter Lisa Munson also assisted the Winchester staff, who opened up both their shotgun and handgun facilities for the media to enjoy. NSSF arranged crisis communications and media issues training for staff before the event, and can provide similar instruction for others interested in promoting the role their company plays in supporting safe ownership and use of firearms. Contact NSSF Communications Director Gary Mehalik at (203) 426-1320 for more information about assistance in getting involved in this local effort.

POLITICAL "MOM MARCH" FIZZLES . . . A political march, ostensibly by mothers so concerned about firearm safety that they emerge only in presidential election years, drew about 2,000 participants to a rally in Washington, D.C. this weekend. It was as much about backing a certain candidate as it was protesting the firearms industry and denouncing gun ownership. The Second Amendment Sisters sponsored a counter-rally to the Million Mom March, attended by about 400 supporters at its Second Amendment Freedoms for Everyone Rally.

WOMEN GUN OWNERS STUDIED . . . The Chicago Tribune wrote a well-researched story in advance of the Mother's Day media spectacle with interesting insights into the growing number of women who own firearms. NSSF provided statistical research for the story, including the fact that the group of shooters with the most education and the greatest amount of disposable income are pistol shooters. That's also the shooting discipline with the highest number of women participants, more than 28 percent.

THIS BROCHURE'S FOR YOU . . . Anheuser-Busch has renewed its nine-year partnership with NSSF by underwriting the cost of producing 350,000 free copies of a new safety and ethics brochure, Sportsman’s Guide to Firearm Safety and Hunter Ethics. The company is a long-time friend to sportsmen and women as one of the country’s leading supporters of outdoor sports, wildlife and natural resource conservation through its Outdoors Program. “Business deals are made in offices. This is a partnership that, I’m proud to say, was made in a duck blind,” said NSSF president Doug Painter. The Budweiser sponsorship helps NSSF champion the cause of firearms safety and hunter ethics by providing the brochure at no cost to retailers, ranges and sportsman’s clubs. Order brochures in quantities of 100, 200, 500 or 1000 by writing to “Sportsman’s Guide," PO Box 230152, St. Louis, MO 63123-0652 or order online at http://www.nssf.org/lit/SportsmansGuide.cfm. Please provide a shipping address and phone number with your order. For smaller orders contact Colleen Swain at cswain@nssf.org.

"ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN" THAT ISN'T . . . Something the firearms industry and the anti-gun Violence Policy Center can agree on is that the so-called "ban" on semiautomatic firearms expected to sunset in September never did prohibit their ownership or use. "The public believes there is an assault weapons ban when there isn't," Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Washington-based VPC tells the Knight-Ridder newspapers. "You can't argue with a straight face that the ban has been effective." NSSF has been busy the last few months contacting reporters for some of the country's major news services who erroneously report that it's illegal to own or shoot a "pre-ban" rifle and that "banned" guns will re-appear in September, when they've never gone away. Read more on the NSSF Web site dedicated to providing the industry's viewpoint to media on firearms issues.

RETURN OF THE 16 GAUGE . . . The May edition of SHOT Business magazine nostalgically tells of an imminent return to popularity for this shotgun bore. Articles also recommend ways for gun store owners to retain valuable employees and tips that help to close a sale. It's free to those in the retail firearm trade, and all you have to do is fill out the form at http://www.shotbusiness.com to see if you qualify.

ENFORCING EXISTING LAWS

CAREER CRIMINAL SENTENCED . . . An Oregon felon who twice supplied handguns to undercover police posing as crooks was sentenced to 15 years in prison under federal prosecution as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort by the Bush administration to pursue repeat offenders who may not get career-ending sentences from state courts.

PREVENTING ILLEGAL SALES IN LOUISIANA . . . Firearm dealers and their employees are invited to attend a seminar jointly sponsored by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the local U.S. Attorney's office and NSSF on Tuesday, May 18, in Baton Rouge. Check the National Association of Firearms Retailers Web site for details.


AROUND THE STATES

PROJECT CHILDSAFE IN EVERY STATE . . . When Hawaii gets its shipment of locks and gun safety educational materials in June, Project ChildSafe will have reached every state. The program, which underscores industry's commitment to safe and responsible gun ownership, is administered by the National Shooting Sports Foundation with funding from a Department of Justice grant. Check Project ChildSafe’s Web site frequently for program updates, because a total of 11,391,815 gun safety kits have been provided since September 2003, and ChildSafe trucks will sweep back through 29 states across the country this summer to deliver the remaining locks allocated, as well as attend several outdoor festivals and events. A grand total of 19 million firearm safety kits is the 2003-2004 distribution goal.

CALIFORNIA . . . NSSF is urging voters to contact their legislators to oppose AB2858, which would impose a 10% tax on loaded cartridges and ammunition component parts, plus a 5% tax on handguns to compensate the victims of crime by driving up the price of protection for law-abiding citizens. Also worthy of opposition is SB1152, requiring retailers of ammunition to collect personal information and a thumbprint from those who buy ammunition. Californians are urged to keep on top of matters in their state with frequent visits to the Web site for the NRA Members' Councils of California. You'll find legislator contact information there and on the NSSF site at our Legislative Action Center.

NEW YORK . . . "Ballistic fingerprinting" in the Empire State is wasting law enforcement resources and has already cost New York $12 million without ever providing police information they could use to solve a crime, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District court. The Shooters’ Committee on Political Education, or SCOPE, the Camillus Sportsman’s Club and the Yates County Federation of Conservation Clubs have brought the federal suit against Governor George Pataki and other state officials. “It’s a humongous waste of taxpayers’ money,” SCOPE President Ken Mathison tells The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “It’s costing the state of New York about $4 million a year.” The system currently holds information on 52,000 guns, according to a state police spokesman, who adds that there has never been a confirmed link between a gun used by a criminal and one of those registered since March 2001.