| SCTP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
1,600 YOUTHS FLOCK TO SCTP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS . . . More than 1,600 young trap shooters and their families traveled to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill., last week for NSSF's Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) National Trapshooting Championships. The SCTP competition, which has been called the "Little League World Series of shooting sports," kicked off the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships. Teams from Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama, Nebraska and Nevada rose to the top with teams earning national honors. For those who make the trip each year, the annual event isn't all about competing, but also spending time with family and friends -- and seeing what products vendors there have to offer. View video highlights and results from the big event.
THIS YEAR'S STEEL CHALLENGE A TRUE SPECTATOR SPORT . . . Not only will spectators at the Steel Challenge World Speedshooting Championships, Aug. 17 and 18, get to see the best shooters in the world compete for the world speed shooting title, but those new to shooting also can learn from the pros and take their first shots. NSSF and member companies are teaming up to offer these newcomers an unforgettable first experience shooting. Supporters include Crimson Trace, FMG Publications, Gripmaster, HIVIZ Shooting Systems, International Defensive Pistol Association, Megitt Defense Systems Caswell, Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger & Co. In addition, Turners Outdoorsman is sponsoring a special First Shots Challenge for all attendees. The championships are held near Los Angeles in Lake Piru, Calif. Full Story
NSSF REPRESENTS INDUSTRY AT LEGISLATURES CONFERENCE . . . The National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, held its annual meeting last week in Boston. Attending the conference and meeting with state legislators from around the country were NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Director of Government Relations Jake McGuigan and NSSF Director of Public Affairs Ted Novin. "The NCSL meetings were very successful," said Keane. "We had the opportunity to represent industry and discuss with state lawmakers NSSF programs such as Don't Lie for the Other Guy and Families Afield. We also reviewed with lawmakers and senior staff key legislative issues including lead ammunition, microstamping, bullet serialization, lawsuits against retailers and the importance of the Shelby/Tiahrt amendment."
EBAY TIGHTENS GUN-RELATED RESTRICTIONS . . . eBay, the giant Internet auction Web site, announced that in mid-August it will be updating its Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy to place more restrictions on gun-related items. Through a message from Matt Halprin, eBay's vice president, trust and safety, the company said it will prohibit listings of any firearm part that is required for firing of a gun. "After learning that some items purchased on eBay may have been used in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April 2007," the message stated, "We felt that revisiting our policies was not only necessary, but the right thing to do." AntiqueWeek.com on Friday featured an article about eBay's decision.
FRAZIER MUSEUM AND NRA CONVENTION . . . With Louisville, Ky., hosting the 2008 NRA national convention, the Frazier International History Museum encourages firearms enthusiasts to pay a visit while attending the convention. The museum houses an impressive collection of historically significant firearms and covers 1,000 years of history. It is also the only museum to have a partnership with the British Royal Armouries, making it the only museum of its kind in the U.S. and the world. "The Frazier Museum is also a great place to host events," said NSSF Senior Vice President Chris Dolnack, who serves on the museum's advisory board. The rooftop garden and several other spaces can accommodate up to 500 guests. For more information about the museum, call 502-412-2280 or log on to www.fraziermuseum.org.
POMA LEADERS CALL CONFERENCE 'RESOUNDING SUCCESS'. . . The Professional Outdoor Media Association announced that its 2nd Annual Business Conference, held in Brooklyn Park, Minn., Aug. 1-4, attracted an increase of 10 percent attendance over the organization's first conference, held last summer in Springfield, Mo. "More than 210 traditional outdoor sports journalists and industry professionals attended the conference," said POMA Chairman Steve Scott. Among the many shooting sports industry representatives was NSSF, which co-sponsored a hands-on tactical rifle shooting opportunity and then presented a tactical rifle "lunch and learn," featuring a presentation by Gun Talk radio show host Tom Gresham and Smith & Wesson executive Paul Pluff.
BUSHNELL TO ACQUIRE FINAL APPROACH, KOLPIN HUNTING . . . Bushnell Outdoor Products, Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire the Final Approach and Kolpin Hunting Product Lines from Facilitator Capital Funds, a Milwaukee-based private equity group. The acquisition includes two primary product lines -- the Final Approach brand of waterfowl products and the Kolpin line of shooting accessories. This marks the sixth acquisition made since 2001 by Bushnell, a privately held company funded by WindPoint Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Chicago and Detroit.
OUTDOOR CHANNEL REPORTS SECOND-QUARTER EARNINGS . . . Outdoor Channel Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:OUTD) reported second-quarter increases in total revenues of 15.2 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively, for the three and six-month periods ended June 30. Second-quarter net income totaled $351,000, or 1 cent per share, compared to a net loss of $17,000 in the same period a year ago.
SPRINGFIELD ARMORY MAKES $1 MILLION COMMITMENT TO NRA . . . Co-CEO of Springfield Armory Dennis Reese announced his company's donation of $1 million to kick off the NRA's new Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment. The announcement came on the 100th anniversary of the National Matches at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio, where word of the financial commitment was issued. "We hope that others in the industry will join us in supporting the future of competitive shooting," Reese said.
AMMO PRICES IN THE NEWS . . . The Dallas Morning News on Thursday featured an in-depth article on the rising costs of ammunition.
AP STORY ON GUNSMITHS . . . "In the Old West, the local gunsmith was as important as the farrier or harnessmaker. Today, gunsmithing is considered a dying art," the Associated Press reports in an article on gunsmiths.
THE REAL OPPOSITION TO INTERNET HUNTING . . . A Wall Street Journal article incorrectly cited the Humane Society as the leading force behind the effort to ban Internet hunting. NSSF and the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses, led by NASC president Sen. John Astle (R-Md.), have long opposed Internet "hunting" and have worked to correct several bills so as to ensure that bans on Internet hunting did not inadvertently prevent handicapped individuals from using technology in the field to assist them in hunting.
PILOT PROGRAM TO EASE DUCK STAMP PURCHASE . . . The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is partnering with nine state wildlife agencies to implement a three-year pilot program to make it easier to purchase Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as Duck Stamps. Beginning Sept. 1, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Texas and Wisconsin will sell stamps, valid for 45 days, electronically through their individual automated licensing systems. Purchasers should receive an actual duck stamp through the mail well before the 45-day period elapses.
BILL TO REDUCE NON-RESIDENT BIG-GAME FEES . . . Charging bureaucracies in state governments with closing down the outdoor opportunities for average Americans, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California has introduced the "Teddy Roosevelt Bring Back Our Public Lands Act" to the House of Representatives. The bill would cap an elk, deer, bear or pronghorn license at $200 if hunting were done exclusively on Bureau of Land Management or national forest land.
LATEST STUDIES PROVE UNRELIABILITY OF DEER CONTRACEPTIVE . . . Biologist Anthony DiNicola's study of a captive deer herd at a corporate center in New Jersey found that one of the latest immuno-contraceptives, called GonaCon, "falls far short of being a viable vaccine," according to The Star Ledger. The results are similar to a companion federal study being conducted in Maryland, where in both cases, marginal success the first year fell precipitously the second year. "The search for the 'magic bullet' contraceptive, a one-shot, long-lasting solution to the state's deer overpopulation woes, has once again eluded scientists," the paper reported.
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