NSSF Bullet Points Articles

NSSF Members Featured in Industry Trade Magazine

SHOT Business, NSSF's trade publication, with a circulation of nearly 20,000, features a page in every issue that profiles an NSSF member, their business and how their NSSF membership delivers value to them. Read their stories. Then e-mail NSSF's managing editor, Colleen Swain, or call her at 203-426-1320 to tell your story about an NSSF benefit that has helped you. Not an NSSF member? Find out why joining NSSF means business.

Manufacturers: Benchmark Your Business Growth

Have you ever wondered how well your business compares to the industry or to fast-growing companies in other industries? As a free member benefit, NSSF members will be able to benchmark their business practices to the business practices of other members and to a database of fast-growing companies. Growth Strategy Partners, a research-based management consulting firm focusing on the firearms, defense and security industries, has compiled a database of more than 600 fast-growing company benchmarks and created the Benchmarks for Growth Evaluation. They are offering NSSF members the free opportunity to benchmark their business practices to this proprietary database. NSSF is also interested in learning the aggregate results of this evaluation. This evaluation is first being offered to NSSF's manufacturing members, so watch your e-mail for the invitation arriving later this week. Learn more about Growth Strategy Partners.

2008 Shooting Sportd Summit Videos

All of the video Webcasts from NSSF's 2008 Shooting Sports Summit are now posted online at NSSF.org/08summit, thanks to the help of MyOutdoorTV.com. Watch the keynote address by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and a number of signature sessions that were Webcast live during the summit. The Webcasts were sponsored by GunBroker.com.
Launch Summit Video Player

Learnin About Handgun Ownership

Asking questions about the difference between revolvers and pistols, ammunition types and magazine capacity, District of Columbia residents received an introduction to handgun shooting Sunday through NSSF's First Shots program at the Arlington-Fairfax Isaak Walton League shooting range in Centreville, Va. A classroom presentation covered topics such as D.C. firearm regulations, safety, grip, sight alignment and trigger control, and then it was on to the range where participants shot .22-caliber revolvers and pistols, always with a certified instructor by their side. "I'd definitely like to learn more about shooting because it's a nice way to spend a weekend," said one female resident. "Next time I'm going to bring my boyfriend." Two sessions of attendees included legislative staffers, sisters and a news reporter from the Washington Informer, an African-American newspaper in the District. "We were very pleased with this initial First Shots seminar for D.C. residents," said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. "It shows that District residents, after having their Second Amendment rights denied for over 30 years, have a strong interest in firearms ownership." A team of NRA-certified instructors led by multiple USPSA and IDPA champion Julie Goloski and chapter volunteer Tom Ciarula delivered a solid introduction that provided the knowledge and information for a safe and responsible start in handgun ownership and usage. Smith & Wesson and Taurus provided loaner pistols and revolvers and attendees received follow-up information and safety materials from all First Shots sponsors. Sunday's First Shots kicked off a series of upcoming seminars in the D.C. area. Learn more at www.firstshots.org.

Future of Shooting On Display In Illinois

A record turnout of more than 2,100 young trap, skeet and sporting clays shooters is expected at NSSF's Scholastic Clay Target Program National Championships July 31 to Aug. 5 at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill. The big event will culminate another record-setting year for the NSSF program, with 9,135 young shooters competing and 1,562 adults volunteering as coaches and directors -- both new records. As the Olympics prepare to showcase shooters among the world's athletic elite, SCTP is not only celebrating record participation, but also its influence on the Games in Beijing. Full Story

D.C. First Shots, SCTP Championships Discussed On Gun Talk

Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Radio Show on Sunday featured interviews with NSSF President Steve Sanetti on NSSF's upcoming First Shots effort for Washington, D.C., residents and NSSF's Bill Dunn on last week's Scholastic Clay Target Program National Championships in Sparta, Ill. Listen online.

ATK Armament Sales Up 32 Percent

First quarter sales in the Alliant Techsystems' (NYSE:ATK) Armament Systems group rose 32 percent to $442 million, compared to $336 million in the prior-year quarter. The division of ATK produces commercial and military ammunition and gun systems, propellants and advanced energetics. ATK's overall first-quarter earnings rose 9 percent when compared to the same period the previous year, with sales for the quarter surpassing $1.1 billion.

Gun, Ammo Sales Up 9.7% in First Quarter

Sales by firearm and ammunition manufacturers were up 9.7 percent in the first quarter of 2008, led by a 17.3 percent increase in ammunition sales, a 5 percent rise in handgun sales and a 6.7 percent increase in long gun sales, according to the firearm industry's best economic indicator. The statistics are taken from the latest Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax collection report. Excise taxes are calculated as a percentage of wholesale receipts, paid quarterly by firearm and ammunition manufacturers, and earmarked for state wildlife conservation and habitat restoration programs. These statistics are based solely on U.S. civilian sales and do not include sales to military, police, etc. During the quarter, $76.8 million was generated for conservation through excise tax collections, compared to $70.1 million in the same period in 2007. From January through March, $19.9 million was collected for pistols and revolvers, $30.3 million for long guns and $26.4 million for ammunition. The latest tax collections suggest overall sales of $716.4 million, not including retail markup or final retail sales.

ATF Launches E-Mail Updates

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has announced an e-mail updates feature now available at www.atf.gov. Subscribers can receive automatic updates without having to continuously check the ATF Web site for updates. ATF said it will also soon be launching RSS (Really Simple Syndication) news feeds. NSSF has been encouraging the bureau to provide FFLs and others with these alerts.

Full-Page Poster In LA Times Spotlights Olympic Shooter

What do Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant and skeet shooter Kim Rhode have in common? Besides being standouts in their respected sports, both Olympic athletes are being featured in full-page posters this week in The Los Angeles Times. Rhode is a resident of nearby El Monte, Calif. The poster featuring her is pictured at left and is available for free download at www.latimes.com/olympics. Rhode, a two-time Olympic gold and one-time bronze medalist in doubles trap, will compete Thursday in women's skeet.