NSSF

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NSSF On Passage Of Connecticut Legislation

April 5, 2013 by



The National Shooting Sports Foundation based in Newtown, Connecticut released the following statement yesterday regarding the passage of that state’s new gun control law. I think the most important part of their statement is the last sentence which says they are studying it for possible legal challenges.

I think this will be a given and not a possibility. The only question will be which gun rights organization files first.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, issued the following statement today:

Gov. Dannel Malloy today signed into law a package of gun-control legislation that was assembled in secret by a small group of state legislators and that never received a public hearing. Most legislators had little time to even read the actual bill language.

The unfortunate results of this process, which made it appear that all points of view were being heard when in fact true expertise was shut out when it was most needed, means that mistakes in what is now enacted law will have to be corrected.

For example, language in the new law specifies a procedure for licensed firearms retailers to perform mandatory “universal” background checks on private party transactions that is not permissible based on federal law and regulations governing the National Instant Criminal Background Checks (NICS) system. As we read it, this mistake in lawmaking means that all private party transactions in the state now cannot be accomplished legally.

We share the goal of wanting to make Connecticut safer for our citizens following the unspeakable tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the end, however, public safety has not been enhanced and the unintended consequences of behind-closed-doors lawmaking will cause considerable confusion until the General Assembly corrects its mistakes.

Here is where we stand today. Law-abiding citizens of this state now have greater restrictions on their Second Amendment and state constitutional rights while Connecticut’s firearms manufacturers will be forced to seriously weigh the impact on their businesses and their employees of the state’s double-standard of you can build it here, but not sell it here, public policy formulation.

We will be carefully studying all provisions of the law for possible challenge in the courts.

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US Abandons Requirement For Consensus On Arms Trade Treaty

March 30, 2013 by

Late this afternoon, the US delegation to the United Nation’s Arms Trade Treaty talks said that the US would vote “yes” on the Arms Trade Treaty regardless of whether other countries do so. In the past, the US had insisted on a consensus for this treaty.

The National Sports Shooting Foundation issued an immediate response taking issue with the US position.

NSSF Objects to U.S. Government Abandoning
Position that U.N. Treaty Must be based on International “Consensus”

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation today strongly objected to the last-minute reversal of the U.S. government position regarding the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. In the closing hours of negotiations on Thursday, March 28, the government abandoned its previous insistence that the treaty be approved only through achieving “consensus” of all the member states. Requiring consensus had been the United States position going back to earlier administrations.

At the end of the session, a U.S. government spokesperson told reporters “It’s important to the United States and the defense of our interests to insist on consensus. But every state in this process has always been conscious of the fact that if consensus is not reached in this process, that there are other ways to adopt this treaty, including via a vote of the General Assembly.” The spokesperson went on to say that the United States would vote “yes” on the treaty in the General Assembly, regardless of the positions of other member states. By abandoning the requirement for consensus the United States is assuring passage of the treaty by the United Nations.

“This abrupt about-face on the long-standing United States requirement for ‘consensus’ illustrates that the Obama Administration wants a sweeping U.N. arms control treaty,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “We are troubled by the timing of the Obama Administration’s decision to abandon consensus on the eve of the Senate debate on pending gun control measures. The United Nations treaty would have a broad impact on the U.S. firearms industry and its base of consumers in the U.S.”

Industry analysts have identified three major areas of concern with the treaty text. The treaty clearly covers trade in civilian firearms, not just military arms and equipment. It will have a major impact on the importation of firearms to the United States, which is a substantial source for the consumer market. And it will impose new regulations on the “transit” of firearms, the term defined so broadly that it would cover all everything from container ships stopping at ports to individuals who are traveling internationally with a single firearm for hunting or other sporting purposes.

“We hope that the Members of the U.S. Senate are closely watching the White House abandon its principles and promises in the rush to ramrod this flawed treaty into effect. Not only will they later be asked to ratify this attack on our constitution and sovereignty, but they will also be lavished with new promises from the administration in its drive to push a broad gun control agenda through the U.S. Senate when it returns from recess. They would be right to question those promises strongly,” concluded Keane.

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Doug Koenig – The Hands Will Follow The Eyes

March 18, 2013 by 2 Comments

In the next installment of pistol training tips from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig discusses transitioning from one target to another. The key is to switch your eyes to the new target and your hands and body will follow suit.

I learned this technique in a training class with Brian Searcy of TigerSwan. It works. If you move your pistol to the new target before your eyes, you will overshoot the target and have to come back. If you just move your eyes first, your hands and the pistol will lock on to the target and not overshoot it.

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The February 2013 NICS Check Report

March 5, 2013 by 2 Comments

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released their adjusted-NICS check statistics for February. Contrary to what I thought might happen, February 2013 checks were up 29.1% over the same period in 2012.

The February 2013 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,634,309 is an increase of 29.1 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,266,344
in February 2012. For comparison, the unadjusted February 2013 NICS
figure of 2,298,561 reflects a 32.5 percent increase from the unadjusted
NICS figure of 1,734,646 in February 2012.

This marks the 33rd straight month with increases in NSSF-adjusted NICS checks over the same period in the prior year.

I had thought perhaps low inventories might have broken this string of increases but obviously not. In retrospect, visits to both small and large gun shops in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina should have told me that. In the early part of February I visited two small gun stores in the Kernersville area that were packed even though the inventory was down. I also visited the Winston-Salem Gander Mountain which actually had a decent inventory. That store was also crowded.

As always, it should be noted that there is not a direct correlation between NICS checks and gun sales. This is because a few states such as  Kentucky and Iowa use the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for CCW purposes. Moreover, in a number of states such as North Carolina, a concealed carry permit is accepted as a substitute for a NICS check.

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To Paraphrase, It’s Jobs, Stupid

February 26, 2013 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation held a series of interviews with managers and workers of a number of Connecticut firearms and firearms accessory manufacturers recently. As the Connecticut legislature looks at a number of draconian gun control laws in the wake of the Newtown shootings, this video puts a human face on the workers of the Connecticut gun industry.

The interviews are with the leaders and employees of O.F. Mossberg, Stag Arms, and magazine maker Ammunition Storage Components.

To paraphrase political strategist James Carville, it’s jobs, stupid. While the jobs may not disappear overnight as it is hard to transfer operations to other locations, if these laws pass, I think you will see more and more of their operations being moved to more gun-friendly states. Indeed, industrial recruiters from such states are already hovering.

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Practice For When Ammo Is In Short Supply

February 14, 2013 by 3 Comments

When ammo is in short supply or rising in cost, many people don’t get in the practice that they need to stay proficient with their handguns. This new video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation discusses an alternative – dry-firing. Charlie McNeese of Gunsite Academy discusses the many important skills that you can hone with dry-fire practice at home. These include trigger control and reset, your presentation and draw, and magazine reloads. Some of these skills are hard to practice at public ranges as they often prohibit things like drawing from a holster or speed reloads.

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Second Highest Adjusted NICS Checks On Record

February 12, 2013 by



The National Shooting Sports Foundation has posted their adjusted NICS checks for the month of January 2013 and they are astounding. Not only does this mark the 32nd straight month of increases compared to the prior period the year before but the numbers for January constitute the second highest month on record. Only the previous month of December eclipsed the January numbers.

The numbers:

The January 2013 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,790,154 is an increase of 94.4 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 920,840
in January 2012. For comparison, the unadjusted January 2013 NICS
figure of 2,483,230 reflects an 81.4 percent increase from the
unadjusted NICS figure of 1,368,816 in January 2012.

94%! The anecdotal reports that I have read and heard about suggest many of the firearms buyers are first time buyers who have been spurred on in their purchases by the clamor for gun control since the Newtown shootings. As others have commented, just how many of these new gun owners are going to surrender a firearm that they have just bought at inflated prices? Precious few.

Looking at the chart below which compares the current period with the year prior period you can see a substantial increase starting in November 2012. While earlier months do show increases, it is nothing like the last three months and especially December 2012 and January 2013. If the NSSF-adjusted NICS checks are down in February 2013 compared to February 2012 I would speculate that it is tied to the low inventories in many gun shops.

As always I need to add the caveat that NICS checks are not a direct correlation with firearms purchases. Holders of concealed carry permits in a number of states do not have to go through a NICS check as the permit suffices for that. Moreover, states such as Kentucky, Iowa, and Michigan use the NICS system to do part of the background check for new carry permits as well as using it to check on existing permits. That said, the adjusted NICS checks are a good indicator of trends in firearm sales.

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The NSSF State Of The Industry Speech

January 16, 2013 by

Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, gave the State of the Industry speech yesterday in Las Vegas at the SHOT Show. His speech which lasts about 17 minutes is well worth a listen. He doesn’t shy away from talking about the Newtown shooting which occurred in the NSSF’s hometown. I like his ending where he is repeating what an elderly man said to him about punishing the good people.

Sanetti was the President and CEO of Sturm, Ruger before he became head of the NSSF. He has been through many of these battles before and is a good man to have on our side.