News from the Enemy Camps & the Good Guys

NSSF Releases iPhone App

‘WHERE2SHOOT’ FINDS SHOOTING RANGES NEAR YOU . . .

NSSF today announced the launch of “Where2Shoot,” a mobile app now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The app -- available for free in the iTunes App Store -- puts North America’s most comprehensive directory of shooting ranges in the palm of your hand. It also includes video tips for shooters, news and firearm safety information.

Where2Shoot gives users the ability to search for ranges near their current location as well as by zip code and state. It also provides specifics about each range, including shooting activities offered, accessibility and contact information.

The app is modeled after NSSF’s popular WhereToShoot.org website and is updated frequently with range information in every U.S. state and Canadian province. New tips for hunters and shooters are also added regularly. Click here or scan the QR code above with your device to learn more and to download the app.

RUGER BACKLOG LATEST EVIDENCE OF STRONG INDUSTRY SALES . . .

Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE:RGR) announced Wednesday that it received orders for more than one million units in the first quarter and that the company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders. The announcement sent Ruger shares up about 13 percent in trading Thursday, while shares of Smith & Wesson (NASDAQ:SWHC) rose about 11 percent. Read more from The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch.

FIREARMS RETAILER EDUCATION SEMINARS BEGIN APRIL 10 IN S.C. . . .

NSSF will kick off a nationwide series of Firearms Retailer Education Seminars on April 10 in West Columbia, S.C. The seminars will provide federally licensed firearms retailers (FFLs) with guidance and education on the rules and regulations governing the sale and transfer of firearms. The free seminars are only for FFLs and their employees. Those FFLs interested in attending may register by contacting Cathy Walker at 203-426-1320 or emailing cwalker@nssf.org or registering online at nssf.org/retailers/seminars. For more information, read NSSF's press release.

SANETTI VIDEO INTERVIEW ON INTERNATIONAL GUN CONTROL

At the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities meeting in Nuremberg, Germany, NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti said in an NRA News interview that the U.S. serves as a shining example to other countries for the way it values and protects firearm ownership rights. He discussed how NSSF, the World Forum on the Future of Shooting Sports Activities and other groups are participating in United Nations Small Arms Treaty negotiations in order to prevent international gun control.

FOX NEWS: ‘GUN SALES EXPLODE AS ELECTION LOOMS’

“Sales of handguns and ammunition are booming across the country, and retailers say it’s all about the November election,” begins a FoxNews.com report. The network talked to firearms retailers and others about the recent spike in firearm sales.

NSSF CONGRESSIONAL FLY-IN APRIL 18-19 .

Officials from NSSF and executives from the Foundation’s Voting Member companies will travel to Washington, D.C., April 18-19 to meet with key lawmakers and help advance the industry’s federal legislative priorities. Participation in the Fly-In is a Voting Member benefit. All Voting Members are strongly encouraged to attend this key government relations effort. This year’s Fly-In will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. If you are interested in attending and receiving additional details as they become available, please contact mswarts@nssf.org.

NSSF INDOOR RANGE AND DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SET FOR JUNE

Anyone who has ever thought of opening an indoor shooting range/retail business should take advantage of the Indoor Range and Retail Development Workshop being presented by the National Shooting Sports Foundation June 18-21 in St. Louis, Mo. The workshop will feature professionals with years of experience in the retail, manufacturing and distributing segments of industry who will lead discussions on a variety of topics and help answer questions such as Where do I get started? To whom should I talk? How much does it cost? What rules and regulations do I need to follow? Learn more and register today at nssf.org/ranges

APPRENTICE HUNTING LICENSE SALES TOP THREE-QUARTER MILLION

New research shows the vast impact that the Families Afield program is having across the country. In all, 782,604 apprentice hunting licenses have been sold with a significant portion of those being adults in 2012. The Families Afield partners, who include NSSF, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and National Wild Turkey Federation along with the National Rifle Association and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, have worked to pass Families Afield bills in 32 states. Apprentice licenses, the hallmark of the Families Afield program, allow an experienced hunter to take a newcomer hunting under close supervision prior to the completion of a hunter education course. And, for the first time, data was collected on the age range of apprentice license buyers. In the states that were able to breakout license buyers by age, more than one third of all apprentice buyers were adults.

NSSF RESPONDS TO PETA’S LATEST MISGUIDED BARBS

When attention was called to photos on the Internet of Donald Trump’s sons posing with African game animals they harvested on safari, the New York Daily News and other media reported comments from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demeaning the hunters’ accomplishments. NSSF responded in a blog entry with experts’ opinions on why hunting is necessary for Africans, wildlife and habitat.

Hunting Heritage Trust/NSSF® Study: Youth Who Hunt and Shoot Can Positively Influence Peers

The more familiar youth are with individuals their own age who hunt and target shoot, the more likely they will be to support and participate in these activities.

This key finding and others come from a major new research project commissioned by the Hunting Heritage Trust and National Shooting Sports Foundation® to determine the impact of peer influence on youth participation in hunting and the shooting sports.

Results from the project were presented at the 77th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference this week in Atlanta.

“This study shows us that today’s youth that hunt and target shoot are important role models to other youth that have yet to participate in these activities. What they say about hunting and shooting and how they conduct themselves reflect on those activities and can have an effect on whether their peers will participate in them,” said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF’s director of industry research and analysis.

“The findings of this report are helping us better understand the impact of youth peer influence at a time when youth no longer participate in hunting and target shooting as much as they once did,” said Bob Delfay, president of the Hunting Heritage Trust. “The study is timely because we see that many opportunities exist to positively affect youth attitudes toward the shooting sports.”

Responsive Management, the well-known public opinion researchers in the fields of conservation, hunting and target shooting, conducted the research in May using focus groups and a nationwide scientific telephone survey of youth ages 8 to 17 years old.

“At these ages, youth are developing potentially life-long perceptions of other people. Youth hunters and target shooters are role models for these activities, and it is extremely important that they know this and present themselves in a manner that will positively affect their peers,” said Mark Damian Duda, Executive Director of Responsive Management.

The study also revealed that youth have a curiosity about the shooting sports and an eagerness to learn more about them. Non-participants said they would accept an invitation to try target shooting and hunting. When the percentages from the study were applied to U.S. population estimates, the report found that more than 23 million youth ages 8 to 17 would be likely to hunt if invited in the next 12 months, and more than 27 million youth would be likely to target shoot if invited during that period.

“The most important obligation for youth hunting and shooting ambassadors is to invite their friends to go hunting and shooting,” the report said.

Not surprisingly, the study noted that communication among peers via social media had potential to have a positive effect on attitudes. The study noted, “Youth are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the most prominent and effective means of social media” and that sponsoring organizations should encourage the use of these and other communications tools.

Participation in the shooting sports should not be all about the activities themselves but also about socializing, meeting new friends and having a fun time, according to the report. In this way, the shooting sports are not unlike any other sport or group activity.

The report noted that youth react favorably to opportunities to try something new, which is good news for the traditional activities of target shooting and hunting.