NSSF Bullet Points Articles

Officials Plan Crackdown On Illegal Gun Transfers

Los Angeles police want gun buyers to know that they can be arrested for giving or selling a gun to someone without the legal background check, especially if the gun turns up at a crime scene. A new city program launched in two high-crime areas will generate a letter to anyone who purchases a gun in those areas, letting them know that transferring the gun to another person without submitting the proper registration paperwork is illegal. If this sounds familiar, it should.

Florida Hunting Summit A Success

Sportsmen and women from across Florida gathered in Orlando this month for the first Summit on the Future of Hunting in Florida. The summit, organized by leaders from the hunting community in Florida and sponsored in part through a grant from NSSF's Hunting Heritage Partnership—which to date has committed nearly $1.5 million to state-based hunting initiatives—was to address decreasing numbers of hunters.

16-Year-Old Hancock On A Roll

Continuing a dominating first year in men’s skeet, Vincent Hancock, 16, of Eatonton, Ga., won his second ISSF World Cup gold medal of the season Aug. 15 in Brazil. With his 149 score, Hancock tied his own world record set at a World Cup in Korea earlier this year. That performance secured a spot for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

British Bill Would Ban Paintball Guns

Claiming that current versions of paintball and airsoft guns look too much like illegal guns, a British crime-reduction bill seeks to ban "realistic imitation firearms" from production. The definition of "realistic" is anyone's guess, but a supporter says, "If it looks like a gun, it should not be allowed." Currently there are 10,000 airsoft players and 70 game facilities around the U.K., and lobby groups are clashing. Read the story.

Momentum For New Waterfowl Conservation Measure

Governors on opposite ends of the Mississippi Flyway are seeking a new Wetlands Loan Act, which would borrow from future federal duck stamp revenues for immediate benefit of key waterfowl habitats. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty are jointly urging Congress to accelerate conservation of rapidly vanishing wetlands and grasslands.

Educating Lawmakers In California

Despite poor weather, more than 50 California state legislators, their staffs and other conservation partners turned out for a recent legislative trapshooting event in Sacramento. The annual shoot demonstrates to lawmakers that the shooting sports are safe and lots of fun. That dialogue will continue this week as the California Legislature Outdoor Sporting Caucus holds its second annual dinner in Sacramento at the Sutter Club. More than 30 California legislators established the caucus last year, joining a growing nationwide network of state legislators concerned with preserving and promoting outdoor traditions. Sponsors include NSSF, NWTF and the California Waterfowl Association.

North Carolina To Study Sunday Hunting

Gov. Mike Easley has requested that the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission study whether to relax, abolish or keep a 136-year-old ban on Sunday hunting in the state. North Carolina is one of only 10 states to ban hunting on Sunday, reports The Charlotte Observer. The findings of the study will go to the 2007-2008 state legislature.

NWTF Continues Support With $100K

CEO Rob Keck of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) last week presented a $100,000 check in support of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund, which has played a key role in fending off frivolous lawsuits against the firearm industry. Today, of course, such lawsuits appear to be losing steam thanks to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act recently passed in the Senate. With continued diligence from supporters, the measure is expected to pass the House and be signed by President Bush.

Shooting Range Resources

After signing an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, the County of Union, New Jersey, recently decided to close the Lenape Park Trap and Skeet Range in Cranford due to traces of lead found in surrounding wetlands. The agreement would have allowed the range to operate if shooters used non-lead shot, but the county decided instead to convert the property to a nature preserve.

NRA Fights Energy Giant To Uphold Law

The National Rifle Association has taken on ConocoPhillips, encouraging its members to boycott products sold by the energy giant and threatening to take out billboard space that will depict the company as an enemy of gun owners. The wrath is over the company's joining in a lawsuit that blocks the enactment of an Oklahoma law that would bar property owners from restricting those without a felony record from keeping firearms in a locked vehicle.