NSSF Bullet Points Articles

Texas School District Approves Carry For Staff, Teachers

Accolades are being given to the Harrold, Texas, school district trustees and superintendent for changing policy to allow properly licensed staff and teachers with permission from the school administration to carry concealed handguns to protect against school shootings. "No doubt the school board will suffer some slings and arrows, but if this decision one day saves the life of even one child, it will have been worthwhile," said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Councilman Tries To Bar Pawn Shops From Selling Guns

Though earlier opinions from the Mississippi attorney general's office refuted a municipality's ability to regulate gun sales, Jackson, Miss., City Councilman Kenneth Stokes wants to repeal an ordinance allowing pawn shops to sell firearms. Stokes' suggestion that the city's pawnshops sell guns to supply the streets with weapons, reports the Clarion Ledger, were addressed by Kevin Macdonald, co-owner of Big Daddy's pawnshop chain, who said, "Not only do we not contribute to the crime problem, but we help solve crimes with the records we keep." Said Jackson Police Department Detective Al LeDoux, "The pawnshops that are selling guns are selling guns within the confines of the federal law. All of the guns sold by pawnshops are to legal adults. I've been a pawnshop detective for 12 years, and I've never seen a pawnshop sell a gun to an underage or nonqualified buyer." An opinion appearing in the newspaper the next day began, "Jackson Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth I. Stokes' proposal to ban gun sales in pawn shops to help stem gun crimes is like banning car sales at used car lots to prevent traffic violations."

Gun Dealer Fights For License

A firearms retailer with two stores in North Carolina was in federal court today fighting to keep the stores' federal firearms licenses, the Fayetteville Observer reports. ATF revoked the licenses of Jim's Gun Jobbery of Fayetteville and Jim's Pawn & Gun of Wilmington in 2005 on charges that the stores kept poor records of hundreds of gun sales.

NSSF Passes SCTP Torch

NSSF on Friday passed the torch of its popular Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) to the newly formed Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF). A key goal for NSSF this year has been to develop a strategy that will encourage significant growth in the program, which has introduced nearly 30,000 young people to the shooting sports in just eight years. A key step in that strategy is the new partnership with SSSF. Longtime youth shooting sports coach Dr. Bill Christy is heading up the new foundation. His involvement in youth shooting dates back to the mid-sixties, when he was one of the founders of the groundbreaking 4-H Shooting Program. He has also been actively involved as a consultant for SCTP since its inception in 2000. View a short video on the transition of the program to SSSF.

FBI Data Points To Increse In July Gun Sales

Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) show 891,224 background checks were performed on the sale of firearms in July, a 17.6 percent increase from the 757,884 reported in July 2007. Adjusted state figures show background checks up 10.9 percent during the month. A total of 6,542,808 background checks have been reported by NICS so far this year. The increase coincides with an up-tick in excise taxes reported by firearms and ammunition manufacturers, an increase in small-arms production and a slight increase in hunting license sales -- all key economic indicators for the firearms industry.

Olympic Wrap-Up

The United States finished up the shooting events with six total medals. In addition to Hancock's gold, Glenn Eller won gold in the men's double trap. Matt Emmons took silver in men's prone. Kim Rhode won silver in women's skeet. Corey Cogdell won bronze in women's trap. Jason Turner was awarded the bronze in 10-meter air pistol after North Korean Kim Jong Su tested positive for a banned substance. The shooting events also received a fair amount of air time this year. "At the Beijing Olympics, the shooting sports received more network coverage than ever before," said Shari LeGate, NBC's shooting sports analyst. "Every final was streamed live on the NBC Olympic Web site. Women's air rifle and men's trap were broadcast on affiliate stations, along with interviews and highlights of other disciplines. The shooting sports have gained recognition in network television as being broadcast worthy." Get full Olympics coverage at USAShooting.com and NBCOlympics.com.

19 Year Old Wins In Shootoff

If he's given the opportunity, the odds are that skeet shooter Vincent Hancock is going to come out on top. At his first World Cup at age 16, he set a world record and won a gold medal. At his first World Championships, he won gold. His goal, however, was to win gold at the Olympics. On Friday, he did just that, and set an Olympic record in the process. Hancock, a former Scholastic Clay Target Program standout and member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, hit a record 121 of 125 targets in the qualification round. After missing one target in the final round, Hancock ended up tied with Norway's Tore Brovold, who shot a perfect 25 in the final. In a shoot-off, both shooters hit their first pair. But after Brovold missed one target in his next pair, Hancock came up big, nailing both of his targets for the gold. "I've always dreamed of getting gold and now I've got it," said Hancock. "I like to deal with pressure and now it's paid off. This is such an amazing feeling and I wouldn't trade a minute of it."

Olympics Spur Record Year for Scholastic Shooting Program

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- As the Olympics prepare to showcase shooters among the world's athletic elite, America's "Little League of Shooting Sports" is celebrating record participation as well as its influence on the Games in Beijing.

The Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act

Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), co-chairmen of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, have introduced legislation, "The Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act," seeking to rectify a longstanding inequity in the collection of the firearms and ammunition excise tax (FAET) -- a major source of wildlife conservation funding. This bill would allow the firearms and ammunition industry to pay the FAET on a quarterly basis. NSSF has been leading a broad coalition of sportsmen and conservation groups in an effort to reform the federal excise tax. A companion bill, H.R. 6310, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last month. Full Story

Governor Huckabee Addresses NSSF Shooting Sports Summit

Former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spoke to a capacity filled room of hunting, shooting sports and firearms industry leaders earlier yesterday during the National Shooting Sports Foundation's (NSSF) Shooting Sports Summit