Vol. 09 No. 28 – July 7, 2008

Following the recent landmark Second Amendment ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, the National Shooting Sports Foundation sent presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) a letter, dated July 4, asking whether he believes laws in his hometown of Chicago that ban law-abiding citizens from having firearms, including handguns in their homes, violate the Second Amendment.

D.C. OFFICIALS WEIGH KEEPING SEMI-AUTO PISTOLS ILLEGAL . . . Following the recent Supreme Court decision that ruled the Washington, D.C., handgun ban unconstitutional, officials in the District of Columbia are attempting to circumvent the high court by outlawing semi-automatic pistols in reluctant acceptance of revolvers. "The D.C. ban of semi-automatics is unjustified," said Smith & Wesson's Paul Pluff. "With all the safety features and reliability of today's semi-auto pistols, they have become an integral component for personal protection. With the adjunct of higher capacity revolvers and quality speed reloading devices, semi-automatic capacities should not be the excuse for the ban of these personal protection firearms." NSSF, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Heller case that was cited during oral arguments and in Justice Scalia's opinion, will continue to fight any ban on firearms ownership for law-abiding citizens.

IN ONE YEAR, PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SHOOT DOUBLES IN SIZE . . . In just one year, the number of youths competing at Pennsylvania's annual Scholastic Clay Target Program championship event doubled, reports The News-Item. About 40 squads, or 200 young trapshooters -- up from 20 squads last year -- took part this past weekend at the event in Elysburg. "I think what happens is the kids who are doing it tell their buddies, and it kind of snowballs," said Greg Lucas, SCTP volunteer state director. Across the country, the story is similar as the popular NSSF program continues to grow each year. Learn more about SCTP, upcoming competitions and more at www.nssf.org/sctp.

NSSF TO HOST CSF BRIEFING ON EXCISE TAX REFORM BILL . . . NSSF will host a Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) breakfast briefing on July 16 on recently introduced legislation (HR 6310) to reform the way in which the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET) is collected. HR 6310 will allow the firearms and ammunition industry to pay the FAET on a quarterly basis, the same payment schedule as every other industry that supports conservation. Currently, firearms and ammunition manufacturers must pay the FAET bi-weekly. This change will provide more money to support state wildlife restoration programs through the Pittman-Robertson Trust Fund. Changing from the current bi-weekly to quarterly schedules could free as much as $22 million annually for manufacturers to invest and contribute to industry growth, which in turn, would expand the FAET base. NSSF expects a Senate version of the bill to be introduced soon.

AUDIT FAULTS NEW YORK CITY POLICE FOR LOSING TRACK OF GUNS . . . According to a New York City audit released last week, and reported in the New York Times, nearly one out of three handguns and rifles that had been turned into the New York City Police Department could not be accounted for. "Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg's time, energy, and of course the taxpayer dollars he controls, would be better spent investigating his own missing firearms instead of harassing law-abiding, federally licensed firearms retailers from out of state," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane.

'WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE' . . . David Petzal, Field & Stream magazine's newly named full-time rifles editor and author of its online Gun Nut blog, provided an interesting look at a recent issue of The New York Times following the Supreme Court's Second Amendment ruling. Read Petzal's blog entry.

GOOD NEWS FOR IDAHO SHOOTING RANGES . . . Michael Brown of the Idaho Sports Shooters Alliance points out that on July 1 an enhanced range protection law went into effect, for which he credits his organization, NRA-ILA and supporting lawmakers. The new law's provisions allow a club to, among other things, add members and activities, or allow law enforcement use of a range, without concern for having exisiting protection from noise-related lawsuits stripped away because of a "substantial change in use." Also, clubs that are considered a non-conforming use under local zoning codes will not lose that status because, for instance, they raise their berms or make other safety improvements. The new provisions will help keep ranges open in the face of increasing development, said Brown. Read the improved range protection law.

ARIZONA PUBLIC SHOOTING RANGES RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS . . . The Arizona Game and Fish Commission has awarded $87,550 to six grant applicants for the construction, improvement, enhancement or expansion of public shooting ranges located throughout the state. Read more.

EMMONS EARNS THREE TITLES AT USA SHOOTING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS . . . The 2008 USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle/Pistol came to a close Saturday with Matt Emmons earning his third national title of the competition, taking first place in the men's three-position rifle event. Emmons, a 2004 Olympian and 2008 Olympic team member, also claimed the men's air rifle and men's prone rifle titles. Jamie Beyerle, Keith Sanderson, Jason Turner and Brenda Shinn, who will also be representing the U.S. on the 2008 Olympic team, each earned a national title in their respective events. Find complete results from the championships at www.usashooting.org.

NATIONAL MATCHES BEGIN THIS WEEK AT CAMP PERRY . . . The 2008 National Rifle and Pistol Championships will begin Tuesday at Camp Perry, Ohio. A tradition at Camp Perry since 1907, the event is broadly divided into five phases: pistol, smallbore 3-position, smallbore prone, high power and long range. Learn more and view the event schedule at nra.org.

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.