Bullet points

[NSSF]

Vol. 6 No. 42 October 17, 2005

You'll find Bullet Points on the NSSF Web site each week at http://www.nssf.org




House to Take Action on S. 397


VOTE SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY . . . The U.S. House of Representatives will take up the Senate-passed Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (S. 397) on Wednesday. Supporters are encouraged to waste no time in urging your representative to pass the legislation, which will end years of abuse of America's legal system by industry opponents, putting an end to wrongful civil liability lawsuits against law-abiding companies. President Bush has encouraged passage of the legislation and has promised to sign it into law.


Lee Ann Womack will perform at the State of the Industry Dinner-Concert Gala Feb. 9 at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Tickets are now on sale at www.shotshow.org.
LEE ANN WOMACK TO PERFORM AT SHOT SHOW . . . Tickets for the State of the Industry Dinner-Concert Gala on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, at the Las Vegas Hilton go on sale today at www.shotshow.org. Just click on the picture of Lee Ann Womack, the Grammy Award-winning country artist, who will be performing at the gala, to learn more about the dinner and to hear the voice that has been nominated for six Country Music Association Awards this year. Entertaining and informative highlights leading up to the Time4 Outdoors-sponsored concert include NSSF president Doug Painter’s state-of-the-industry multimedia presentation and brief addresses by industry dignitaries. Gastronomical highlights include a cocktail reception sponsored by Ducks Unlimited and a multi-course dinner. Ticket prices this year remain at $90, $850 for a table of 10.

SHOT SHOW EXHIBITORS RECEIVE HELPFUL PACKET . . . SHOT Show exhibitors have been sent “Setting the Course for Industry Success,” a brochure that provides eye-opening statistics, quotes, history and other pertinent background information. Packaged in the brochure is a brand-new CD-ROM, “Secrets to a Successful SHOT Show,” which offers valuable tips on how exhibitors can maximize their SHOT Show experience. Future registering exhibitors will receive the packet. Registered exhibitors may request additional packets from Jane Gray at NSSF.

ALL SIGNS POINT TO HUNTING . . . South Dakota has begun marking 800,000 acres of state trust land that is open for hunting, reports the Associated Press. With the help of an NSSF Hunting Heritage Partnership grant, the state’s Office of School and Public Lands was able to purchase 2,500 signs, which will alert hunters to about 550 miles of state land available for hunting. Many hunters in the state currently avoid using these lands simply because they are unaware that it is public land. The signs will not only increase visibility of these lands, but will also help increase hunting opportunities for many game species, including deer, turkey, antelope and prairie grouse. Through the Hunting Heritage Partnership, nearly $1.5 million in grants has been distributed to state wildlife agencies in the last three years by NSSF so states can implement programs to increase hunting opportunities.

NOT JUST ANOTHER PAY-PER-VIEW FIGHT . . . Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, squares off against Andrew Butler, the United Kingdom’s representative for PETA, for a debate on whether hunting should be banned. Following the debate on iN DEMAND Pay-Per-View on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 9 p.m. E.D.T., viewers will be asked to vote for the winner at www.huntingdebate.com. To order the event, which is projected to cost $9.95, subject to local cable companies’ discretion and other fees, prospective viewers are encouraged to check local cable Pay-Per-View listings, call their cable company or visit www.indemand.com. The debate will be re-aired Tuesday at 10:30 p.m., on Friday at 6 p.m. and on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

NSSF STAFFER JOINS ATF . . . John Badowski, a five-plus-year member of the NSSF staff, serving as its first director of retail partnerships and head of its retailer division, the National Association of Firearms Retailers (NAFR), has resigned his position to join the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as its firearms industry technical advisor. At NSSF, Badowski was instrumental in the formation of NAFR, state retailer organizations, Partnership for Progress seminars, SHOT Show University and the retailer component of the "Don't Lie for the Other Guy" straw purchase awareness campaign, among many other programs. Badowski will serve as the point of contact with FBI NICS, various trade groups, industry organizations and industry members in general. He will also be responsible for providing assistance, advice and recommendations to senior ATF management officials on issues affecting ATF, the firearms industry and the law enforcement community.

NO AVOIDING N.J. BEAR HUNT . . . It is critical that New Jersey resume hunting to deal with an explosive growth in the black bear population in the state, writes James Ahearn of The Record. Human encounters with bears have become increasingly common this year in the Garden State, but hunting as a solution has been met with opposition. “Without hunting, the bear population will continue to increase, and quite rapidly. The distraught opposition here is not matched in Pennsylvania and New York. In both, an annual bear hunt is an accepted part of rural life, prompting no intervention by governors or courts,” writes Ahearn. In 2003, the state held its first bear hunt in over 30 years, which reduced the bear population and the number of bear-human incidents.

NEW ATF FORM 4473 GOES INTO EFFECT TODAY . . . Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) must use the new ATF Form 4473 beginning today, as previous versions become obsolete on Oct. 17. Every FFL should be in receipt of the new forms (OMB No. 1140-0020). If any FFL is not in receipt of the new forms, he or she should contact their local ATF office. If those who have received the forms wish to place an additional order, they should contact the ATF Distribution Center at (703) 455-7801.

ATF STATE LAWS, ORDINANCES ONLINE . . . The newly revised “ATF P 5300.5 State Laws and Published Ordinances—Firearms (2005 - 26th Edition)” is available online at www.atf.gov/firearms/statelaws/26thedition/index.htm. The Web site includes links to all 50 states as well as a downloadable version of the bureau’s entire new edition.

CALENDAR BENEFITS CATCH-A-DREAM . . . A calendar is now on sale at Wal-Mart stores nationwide to benefit the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, which provides hunting experiences for children who face life-threatening medical conditions. The “2006 Monster Whitetails” calendar can be a low-cost gift for any whitetail enthusiast, and a portion of the cost goes directly to the foundation. Catch-A-Dream was launched after the older, larger Make-A-Wish Foundation established a policy that precludes granting a child any wish that involves hunting or use of firearms, bows or sport shooting equipment. Providing such traditional outdoors experiences, however, is a mission that's capturing the attention of more and more national sponsors, including NSSF.

ACCURATE AND FAIR . . . Since we often note in Bullet Points the inaccuracies of stories and editorials about firearms and our industry appearing in The New York Times, it seems only fair to mention that The Times has been reporting accurately and fairly in stories about hunting issues this fall, including a piece on a controversial bison hunt in Montana that ran in today's issue (registration required). Several weeks ago it featured a story on the front page of a Sunday issue on the topic of lowering the hunting age for children and the Families Afield program promoted by NSSF, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.

VIOLENCE POLICY CENTER GOES FOR INTERCEPTION . . . The Violence Policy Center (VPC) has tried to dissuade National Football League’s Washington Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder from holding a sporting clays charity event to be presented in Maryland by NRA Sports. In a letter to Snyder, VPC executive director Josh Sugarman urged him to end support of the Oct. 25 event, which would benefit the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, and stated that the foundation’s work to make a positive and measurable impact on youth cannot be reconciled with the NRA’s mission. Registration for the event can be done through the Redskins’ Web site.

INVESTIGATION NETS SUSPECT . . . A man suspected of funneling as many as 75 illegal firearms onto the streets of New York City in less than a year has been arrested in Virginia, reports the New York Post. An investigation by ATF and New York police had tracked the suspect’s business for nearly a year after it was discovered that his firearms were connected to crimes in New York. "The fact that crime guns were recovered and traced quickly enabled us to monitor the sales in Virginia and conduct safe undercover operations and led to this week's arrest," said William McMahon, special agent in charge of the ATF's New York office.

BRAZIL VENDORS: GUN BAN WON'T DO MUCH . . . Licensed firearm vendors in Brazil say gun sales are already so low that a ban on gun sales is not needed, reports Reuters. The country is preparing for an Oct. 23 referendum that will likely ban all firearm and ammunition sales to civilians. Vendors say gun sales have already dwindled to about one-tenth what they were before strict gun control measures went into effect in 2003. "It's already more difficult to buy a gun legally than to be admitted to a medical college. This referendum is nonsense," said Vera Ratti, owner of a big Interarmas shop in Sao Paolo, Brazil's largest city.

WETLANDS CASES HEAD TO SUPREME COURT . . . The U.S. Supreme Court has accepted two cases on federal regulation of wetlands, reports The New York Times. Both from Michigan, the cases challenge regulators’ definition of federally protected wetlands under both the Clean Water Act and the Constitution. In question is whether the federal government is properly asserting jurisdiction over wetlands that may be part of a drainage area or tributary system but do not actually abut the "navigable waters" to which the Clean Water Act refers.

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