Vol. 09 No. 30 – July 21, 2008

'SHOOT-OUT' RAISES $40,000 FOR NSSF EFFORTS . . Big Rock Sports hosted its second annual Golf and Sporting Clays Target Shoot-Out fund-raiser in June at The American Club in Kohler, Wis. The two-day event, coordinated to support NSSF, its Scholastic Clay Target Program and National Hunting and Fishing Day, "far exceeded everyone's expectations," commented Gary Zurn, senior vice president of marketing for Big Rock Sports, "... and allowed for senior management of our industry's top companies to trade ideas and discuss key issues facing the shooting sports ..." Auctions at the event raised $40,000. "We are extremely pleased that Big Rock Sports has once again created this great event that helps support vital NSSF programs and also brings industry leaders together so we can continue to focus on the challenges and opportunities that will help build a stronger future for all of us," said Doug Painter, NSSF's senior advisor and trade liaison, who, on behalf of NSSF, accepted the generous donation from Big Rock Sports President Ed Small.

NSSF SPONSORS CAPITOL HILL BRIEFING ON EXCISE TAX REFORM . . . NSSF last week sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing hosted by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. At the event, NSSF President Steve Sanetti spoke to members of Congress, leaders of conservation organizations and other industry representatives concerning the inequity that exists in the excise tax payment schedule for firearms and ammunition manufacturers. "The firearms industry is not trying to get a tax break or avoid taxes; we just want parity with the other industries that support conservation," said Sanetti, explaining that the bi-weekly tax collection schedule places an administrative burden on the industry, costing manufacturers millions that could be better spent re-investing in their businesses.

IMMEDIATE SUPPORT URGED FOR NEW YORK JUNIOR HUNTER BILL . . . Legislation that would allow mentored big-game hunting in New York State for 14-year-olds is set to arrive on Gov. David Paterson's desk today, and industry and sportsmen's groups are urging telephone and fax support immediately. Call 518-474-8390 or fax 518-486-9652 with messages of support for the Youth Mentoring Bill (A11033/S8228). The bill is based on the Families Afield initiative started by NSSF, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and National Wild Turkey Federation.

D.C. RESIDENTS START APPLYING FOR GUN PERMITS . . . Last Thursday marked the first day that District of Columbia residents could begin registering or applying for handguns since the Supreme Court struck down D.C.'s 32-year-old handgun ban. The first to arrive was Dick Heller, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case -- but he was turned away. Read more in the Associated Press account.

BUYING A HANDGUN ANOTHER STORY FOR D.C. RESIDENTS . . . Though Washington, D.C., residents can now apply for a handgun license, actually buying a handgun is another story. Since there are no gun stores in the district, residents must go out-of-state to purchase a firearm, and then they'd need to find a federally licensed dealer to make a transfer in the district. However, the district's lone federally licensed dealer willing to handle out-of-state transfers currently has an inactive license, according to news reports, so residents could face a long wait. Read more about the situation in The Washington Post and from WTOP News.

EVANSTON ALDERMEN VOTE TO AMEND GUN BAN . . . As a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling on District of Columbia v. Heller and in the face of a resulting NRA lawsuit, Evanston, Ill., aldermen unanimously voted to amend their city's 27-year-old handgun ban. The Daily Northwestern reports that Evanston thus will seek to have the NRA lawsuit dismissed. The day after the Supreme Court ruling, NRA targeted San Francisco, Chicago and three Chicago suburbs, including Evanston, with lawsuits, because of their restrictive bans.

CONSERVATION AND GUN RIGHTS ADVOCATE EARNS AWARD . . . Michael Yacino, long-time champion of Massachusetts sportsmen and women, has received the Gov. Francis W. Sargent Conservation Award for his contributions to conserving the Commonwealth’s natural resources. Yacino is the seventh recipient of the award established by the Fisheries and Wildlife Board to honor the former governor and noted conservationist. An avid hunter and fisherman, Yacino served as executive director of the Gun Owners' Action League from 1977 to 2005 and has supported a range of conservation initiatives in the state, including the Rivers Protection Act of 1996. Yacino was a leader in the 1998 Lead Shot Initiative -- a program designed to educate shooting range operators about environmentally responsible management of spent ammunition. He has been a member of the advisory committee of the National Association of Shooting Ranges, and is an outdoor writer.

CALIFORNIA STREAMLINES HUNTING LICENSE PROCESS . . . Legislation signed into law allows Californians who purchase an annual hunting license or permit via the Internet to print a temporary document that is valid for no more than 30 days. This allows them to hunt immediately, rather than waiting for their purchase to arrive in the mail.

SCIF SHOOT SET FOR OCT. 3-4 IN SAN ANTONIO . . . The Safari Club International Foundation, world-renowned for its annual Reno convention, "The Ultimate Hunters' Market," is expanding support for mission programs with a new SCIF Shoot sporting clays event, Oct. 3-4 at the National Shooting Sports Complex in San Antonio, coinciding with the World Skeet Shooting Championships. Industry teams, independent shooters and SCI chapter members worldwide will compete. The SCIF Shoot will generate funds to support SCIF's conservation, education, humanitarian services and other mission programs. Visit www.safariclubfoundation.org/shoot to sign up teams or individual shooters. To check on remaining sponsorship availability, contact Mark LaBarbera at 520-620-1220.

Sights on Beijing: A Look at America's Olympic Shooters

With the 2008 Olympics just weeks away, Bullet Points each week will offer a brief look at the U.S. Olympic team shooters headed to Beijing. This week are the rifle shooters.

MATT EMMONS . . . Events: Men's Three-Position Rifle and Men's Prone Rifle. Hometown: Browns Mills, N.J. Age: 27. First began to shoot competitively in high school after FBI firearms instructor Paul Adamowski invited him to give the sport a try. Emmons is looking to defend his 2004 Olympic gold medal in the men's prone event.

MIKE ANTI . . . Event: Men's Prone Rifle. Hometown: Winterville, N.C. Age: 43. Mike learned to shoot at a junior club when he was nine so he could hunt with his father, who was also the rifle coach for the Marine Corps and the Naval Academy. Anti was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1992, 2000 and was a silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

JASON PARKER . . . Event: Men's Three-Position Rifle. Hometown: Omaha, Neb. Age: 34. Began shooting in 1988 and joined the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit in 1997 after graduating from Xavier University. Parker competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in men's air rifle. He will compete in both the men's three-position and men's air rifle events in Beijing.

JAMIE BEYERLE . . . Event: Women's Three-Position Rifle. Hometown: Lebanon, Pa. Age: 24. Jamie got her start in shooting when she began with a BB gun program at the age of eight. She graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and shot for its nationally renowned rifle team. Beyerle's long list of accomplishments includes a 2007 national championship in three-position and a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games.

SANDRA FONG . . . Event: Women's Three-Position Rifle. Hometown: New York City, N.Y. Age: 18. Learned to shoot from her dad alongside her sisters Abby (National Team) and Danielle (Paralympic National Team). She will be attending Princeton University in the fall and plans on pursuing a career in medicine. Fong was the smallbore champion at the 2008 Junior Olympic Rifle Championships.

HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS TRACK OLYMPIC SHOOTING EVENTS WITH USA SHOOTING . . . To help industry and consumers follow the progress of the U.S. Olympic team during the 2008 games, USA Shooting has developed a Web site that will provide easy access to the latest news, athlete profiles and scores. But it needs your help to get the word out about the Web site. To help, USA Shooting has developed a graphic that can be easily uploaded and placed on a company's Web sites. "We only have this chance once every four years to celebrate our sports and our athletes as they compete in the Olympic Games," said Buddy DuVall, USA Shooting's director of marketing. "The games offer a huge opportunity for the shooting industry. The positive stories about the shooting sports that result from our participation will surely inspire future Olympic dreams and help provide a better understanding of our sports with the general public. We just want to make sure these stories and competition updates are easily available to anyone with an interest. With industry's support, we can do just that." Learn more about the campaign.

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.