NSSF

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December Adjusted NICS – Just As Suspected

January 9, 2013 by 7 Comments

The National Shooting Sports Foundation released their adjusted NICS check numbers for the month of December and they are almost off the charts.

Above is the graph of the NSSF-adjusted NICS checks for the last 13 Decembers. The only decrease over the previous since Obama was first elected is December 2009. That probably was reflective of the surge the prior year.

Here are the numbers as reported by NSSF:

The December 2012 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 2,237,731 is an increase of 58.6 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,410,937
in December 2011. For comparison, the unadjusted December 2012 NICS
figure of 2,776,105 reflects a 49.7 percent increase from the unadjusted
NICS figure of 1,854,400 in December 2011.

December 2012 also marked the 31st straight month with increases over the same month in the prior year.

 It is important to note that NICS checks are not a perfect correlation with gun sales. States such Iowa, Michigan, and Kentucky use the NICS system for background checks on both new and existing concealed carry permits. Moreover, in a number of states such as North Carolina, a concealed carry permit is accepted in lieu of running the NICS check.

For the entire year 2012, adjusted NICS checks were up 27.7% over 2011.

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Accessorizing Your AR-15

December 13, 2012 by 2 Comments

Cory Trapp, Gunsite instructor and gunsmith, discusses accessorizing your AR-15 in this video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. He discusses what add-ons you might want and what you can live without.

More importantly, he explains why some add-ons can aid your shooting while others will just get in the way. Cory makes the point that when it comes to accessorizing your AR “less is more”.

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You Can Learn Something From Cowboy Action Shooting

December 7, 2012 by 2 Comments

I’ve never participated in cowboy action shooting but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn something from it. In one of the most recent shooting tips videos put out by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Jim “Long Hunter” Finch shows some single and double loading techniques for a pump shotgun. While Jim is using a Winchester Model 97, his techniques would work just as well with a Mossberg 500 or a Remington 870.

Even if your pump shotgun has an extra long extension tube and you have 7 or 9 shells in the tube, these techniques could be invaluable if you need to switch from buckshot to slugs or vice-versa. I’m no expert but it just makes sense to me to practice some of these techniques regardless of whether you are using the shotgun for hunting or self-defense.

UPDATE: It occurred to me early this morning that if you are trying to load the shotgun while you have a full tube, there are other techniques you have to add in to prevent the round(s) in the tube from loading.

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November NICS Checks Set All Time Record

December 4, 2012 by 1 Comment

In not unexpected news, the National Shooting Sports Foundation is reporting that the NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System total hit an all-time high in November 2012. This follows on the heels of the announcement that Black Friday was also a record breaker. The previous high had been December 2011.

The November 2012 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,525,177 is an increase of 38.5 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,101,076 in
November 2011. For comparison, the unadjusted November 2012 NICS figure
of 1,997,703 reflects a 30.8 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS
figure of 1,527,454 in November 2011.

This marks the 30th straight month in which the NICS checks have surpassed the number in the same month of the prior year. You can see this trend in the NSSF chart below of adjusted NICS checks for the past 12 months.

 If you want to see the impact of the election and re-election of Barack Obama has played on these numbers, examine the chart below.  November 2008 and November 2012 are significantly higher than the other months of November since the year 2000.

It should be remembered that these NICS checks do not have a direct correlation with sales though they are indicative of sales trends. States such as Kentucky, Iowa, and Michigan use the NICS checks for background checks on those applying for concealed carry permits as well as to check on active CCW holders. Furthermore, as readers pointed out on my Black Friday sales post, in many states including North Carolina holders of concealed carry permits are exempted from the NICS background check.

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SAAMI – Sporting Ammunition and the Fire Fighter

November 28, 2012 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute (SAAMI) have produced a video for firefighters about the impact of fire on stored ammunition. This video and the tests they performed serves to dispel many of the myths about stored ammunition. It is actually rather interesting and I would recommend you share it with any friends that are either paid or volunteer firefighters.

The bottom line is that while it makes a lot of noise when it is “cooking off”, ammunition poses little risk of injury to fire fighters or neighbors. When they burned up over 28,000 rounds of ammo in a bonfire, very few of the projectiles even penetrated one layer of sheetrock and none penetrated the second layer. A firefighter who near the fire in full turn-out gear could feel the projectiles hitting his coat but none penetrated it nor did they cause any pain.

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243,292

November 27, 2012 by 3 Comments

That is the number of point-of-sale NICS checks that were performed on Friday and Saturday combined. The NSSF is reporting that the number of NICS checks on the day after Thanksgiving, “Black Friday”, set the all-time one-day record of 154,873.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving also made the list of top ten highest days coming in at number six.

With regard to the numbers, NSSF points out:

That total was nearly 20 percent more than the previous high of 129,166 set on Black Friday last year. Since a federal background check is mandatory for every firearm sold at retail, background check activity serves as an indicator of retail gun sales.

They attribute the high sales to Obama’s reelection, an increase in hunting license sales, and the fact that more and more Americans are taking responsibility for the safety of their families as well as themselves.

Since these numbers are strictly from point-of-sales, it will be interesting to see how the gun prohibitionists try to spin this.

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Final Vote On Sportsmen’s Act Of 2012 Expected Today (Updated)

November 27, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Senate Calendar for today lists S.3525 as the first act of legislative business for today.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another alert that the bill is coming to a vote and urging support for it.

What makes this alert a little different is that they acknowledge indirectly GOA’s opposition to the bill. I know this will put me on the other side of the fence from some of my readers but I think NSSF has it right on this. I have heard criticism of NSSF’s support for S.3525 as “consider the source”. This assumes that NSSF only cares about lead ammo and shooting ranges and not Federal confiscation of land. Frankly, I think this improperly denigrates both NSSF and the gun manufacturing community as “unAmerican” and only looking out for themselves.

UPDATE: The Senate voted 50 yea, 44 nay, and 6 not voting on a substitute amendment by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). The amendment is described as “Motion to Waive all Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Amdt. No. 2875; In the nature of a substitute.” The amendment failed as it required a 3/5 majority. Every Republican except the lame duck Sen. Olympia Snowe (RINO-ME) voted nay on the amendment.

 According to today’s Senate calendar, S. 3525, is being placed on the Unanimous Consent calendar to:

1.—Ordered, That S. 3525, a bill to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes, be returned to the Calendar status quo; provided, that at a time to be determined by the Majority Leader after consultation with the Republican Leader, it be in order for the Majority Leader to resume consideration of S. 3525. (Nov. 26, 2012.)

Where this leaves the bill in terms of scheduling, I’m not sure.

UPDATE II: The NSSF released this statement regarding S. 3525 yesterday. They still hope it will be brought to a vote in this lame-duck session.


NSSF today expressed disappointment with the results of last evening’s procedural vote in the U.S. Senate that has delayed action on the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 (S.3525), but pledged to continue working in a bipartisan fashion, along with a coalition of more than 45 other leading sportsmen’s and conservation groups, to advance the historic package of bills before the adjournment of the 112th Congress.


“It is clear there is broad bipartisan support for the policies contained in the Sportsmen’s Act, which contains our industry’s top legislative priorities” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “While we are disappointed by Monday’s procedural vote, we will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to address budgetary concerns raised by senators in time to ensure a vote on the Sportsmen’s Act before the end of the lame-duck session.”

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Concealed Carry Considerations

November 9, 2012 by

In another of the excellent short training videos from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Charlie McNeese of Gunsite Training Academy discusses various carry options for carrying concealed. Among them are pocket carry, ankle carry, and using a waist pack. The one thing he emphasizes about any of the methods is that they should be accessible whether standing or sitting.

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Using Your Lower Body To Stay On Target

November 2, 2012 by

In another of the excellent short training videos from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, cowboy action shooter Jim Finch aka Long Hunter shows how to use your lower body effectively to increase both speed and accuracy.

While Jim is discussing this in the context of a SASS competition, I think his technique is transferable to other competitions like IDPA. More importantly, I could see this as being transferable to defensive situations where you face multiple attackers and no effective cover or concealment. While moving may be preferable, it isn’t always possible.