Vol. 09 No. 27 – June 30, 2008

U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION HAILED BY INDUSTRY . . . The National Shooting Sports Foundation hailed Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 decision written by Justice Antonin Scalia that determined authoritatively that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. "The decision is a major victory for all Americans," said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. "The Heller decision reaffirms the wisdom of our founding fathers in creating the Bill of Rights to protect and preserve individual rights, the cornerstone of our democracy. Furthermore, this decision solidifies an historical fact, the commonsense understanding that governments have powers, not rights -- rights are reserved exclusively for individuals." NSSF filed a friend of the court brief in the case, which was quoted during oral argument by Justice Anthony Kennedy and also made its way into the court's opinion by Justice Scalia. Not surprisingly, gun-control groups throughout the country have begun a fund-raising campaign to oppose the freedom guaranteed in the Second Amendment. "Make no mistake," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "These are no longer gun-control groups. They are opponents of a recognized civil liberty intent on suppressing freedom and leaving the law-abiding defenseless. One has to wonder what other constitutionally protected rights they oppose."

2008 SUMMIT CONCLUDES; CHALLENGES REMAIN . . . NSSF's 2008 Shooting Sports Summit wrapped up Wednesday in Colorado Springs. For two days, leaders from throughout the industry and the shooting and hunting communities sifted through new research, listened to detailed presentations and took part in discussions on the challenges confronting the future of hunting and the shooting sports. While industry veterans and newcomers alike called the summit a great success, the real challenge has not yet begun. "Now comes the true test," said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. "We have to meld the results of the summit, and the information and suggestions we have gleaned, into a coherent, concrete and effective plan of action." A volunteer Summit Task Force will take on the great responsibility of taking what was presented at the summit and building from it to grow active participation in hunting and the shooting sports. "It is an awesome responsibility. But we have to do it, and together we can," said Sanetti. View Photos from the 2008 Summit

HUCKABEE'S ADDRESS VIEWABLE ONLINE; MORE VIDEOS TO COME . . . If you missed it, former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's speech at the summit can be viewed online at the summit Web site. Check back throughout the coming days for additional videos from the summit. In his speech, Huckabee spoke of the importance of the upcoming presidential election and the importance of hunters and shooters in America. "Sportsmen contribute $30 billion annually to the U.S. economy," said Huckabee, who also mentioned that 986,000 jobs were linked to America's hunters and shooters. Concerning the environment, Huckabee drew attention to the fact that sportsmen contribute $3 million dollars a day to conservation efforts. "It's not the people who hug the trees, it's the people who hide behind the trees and wait for something to come out (who are the real conservationists)."

LIVE ONLINE: SUMMIT STREAMING A HIT . . . For those unable to attend -- or those simply interested in the overall concept -- many segments of the 2008 summit were streamed live online through www.nssf.org and www.espnoutdoors.com, thanks to sponsorship from GunBroker.com. All of these segments will be available for viewing in the coming days at www.nssf.org/08Summit.

YOUTH MENTORED HUNTING BILL IN NEW YORK GOES TO GOVERNOR . . . Gov. David Patterson has the opportunity to sign into law legislation that will enable 12-year-olds to hunt small game with a firearm and 14-year-olds to hunt big game with a firearm, in both cases closely monitored by accompanying adult mentors. Though the legislation contains several other conditions, if signed by the governor, the law would lower the minimum age for big-game hunting with a firearm from 16, the oldest minimum age currently on the books in the United States.

CONGRESSMAN CALLS EXCISE TAX REFORM 'WIN-WIN FOR EVERYONE' . . . Legislation (HR 6310) seeking to rectify a longstanding inequity in the collection of the firearms and ammunition excise tax (FAET) is a win-win for conservation and the firearms and ammunition industry, said the bill's sponsor Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.). "When CSF and NSSF informed me of this issue and the potential benefit this simple fix will have on conservation, I quickly called on my colleagues in the Sportsmen's Caucus to work with me on introducing legislation that can result in a rare win-win for everyone involved," said Kind, co-chair for the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus. Learn more about HR 6310.

KIMBER DONATION COULD BE WORTH MORE THAN $1 MILLION TO NRA . . . Kimber has made one of the largest donations in NRA Foundation history, some $600,000 of fine firearms that will be utilized by both The NRA Foundation and Friends of NRA program. Given the enthusiasm with which NRA members support their organization, total proceeds could exceed $1,000,000.

SMITH & WESSON ANNOUNCES SENIOR MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS . . . Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:SWHC) today announced new appointments to its senior management team. The company has named William F. Spengler as executive vice president and chief financial officer. John A. Kelly, formerly chief financial officer, has been named to the newly created role of vice president of financial planning and control. Read more.

RIFLE, PISTOL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN . . . The 2008 USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle and Pistol will run through Saturday, July 5. They began yesterday, and during the week of competition some 500 shooters, including 13 members of the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, will be vying for national titles at the Ft. Benning, Ga., International Shooting Complex.

4-H NATIONAL INVITATIONAL BRINGS 434 YOUNG SHOOTERS TOGETHER . . . The 4-H 2008 National Shooting Sports Invitational, held at Heartland Public Shooting Park, near Grand Island, Neb., from June 23-26, crowned national champions among the 434 participants representing 29 states. The shooters had earlier competed in state competitions to advance to the national invitational, and at this 8th annual event, some 129 coaches were on hand to help the youngsters further improve their skills.

GROUPS APPEAL TO INTERIOR FOR SAGE GROUSE HABITAT CONSERVATION . . . The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the North American Grouse Partnership have formally requested that the Department of Interior undertake conservation measures for sage grouse habitats on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. They have urged the BLM to better manage sage grouse during energy development on federal public lands to avert an endangered listing of the upland gamebird, an action being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. TRCP recently filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Department of Interior, charging it of mismanaging a natural gas development project in Wyoming that threatened sage grouse, mule deer and other wildlife.

INDUSTRY CAREER CONNECTION . . . Visit www.nssf.org/jobs for current employment opportunities in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. Employers: Log in to post a job opening.