AOB Outdoor Products & Accessories Names Mark Reasoner as VP Sales for Hunting & Shooting Accessories
AOB Outdoor Products & Accessories, a division of American Outdoor Brands Corporation and an industry leading provider of hunting, shooting, reloading, gunsmithing, gun cleaning supplies, specialty tools, survival products, and cutlery, today announced that Mark Reasoner has joined the company as Vice President of Sales for Hunting & Shooting Accessories.
Previously, Reasoner served as Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Drake Waterfowl, a manufacturer and distributor of high quality duck hunting gear, clothing and equipment. Prior to Drake Waterfowl, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager for Pure Fishing’s North American commercial business, a role in which he oversaw some of the industry’s premier fishing brands, including Shakespeare, Berkley, Abu Garcia, and Penn, among others.
Brian Murphy, President of AOB Outdoor Products & Accessories, said, “We’re excited to have Mark join our entrepreneurial team to help expand our hunting and shooting accessory brand portfolio. His strong and longstanding relationships with retailers and distributors in the industry, combined with his experience representing a large variety of respected brands, will complement our focus on new product development and will further strengthen our brands with the consumer.”
In his new role, Reasoner will be responsible for overseeing sales for 10 brands in the company’s Hunting & Shooting Accessories portfolio, including: Caldwell (precision shooting supplies, such as shooting rests); Tipton (gun cleaning supplies); Wheeler (gunsmithing tools); Frankford Arsenal (reloading tools and equipment); BOG (field hunting accessories, such as bipods and tripods); Hooyman (hunting preparation, including tree saws); Lockdown (firearm storage solutions); Smith & Wesson and M&P Accessories; and Thompson/Center Accessories.
Reasoner said, “It’s truly an honor to join the AOB team. In addition to working with a group of dedicated outdoor enthusiasts, I will have the opportunity to help grow some of the most well-known and highly regarded brand names in the hunting and shooting industry. I’m eager to begin implementing new product activation strategies alongside our product and marketing teams to drive significant excitement and growth for our retail partners.”
Reasoner received his Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University.
NSSF Supports WOMA’s She Never Quit Event
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is pleased to support the Women’s Outdoor Media Association’s She Never Quit Event, which brings together women attendees interested in honing their firearm skills and those working in the firearms industry to encourage participation in the shooting sports, while also raising funds for selected charities. Taking place October 8-11, this WOMA event is now in its fourth year at the Lazy J Ranch in Normangee, Texas, and hosted by Melanie and Marcus Luttrell (author of the book Lone Survivor). She Never Quit was inspired by Marcus Luttrell’s Team Never Quit and brings together approximately 40 women ranging from novice to expert and from all backgrounds, including women in the firearms industry, outdoor media representatives, and a representative for the charity SNQ benefits.
The atmosphere at the ranch is casual, friendly and cooperative, with activities beyond the daily shooting bay schedule including an active-shooter class, mace training, archery, yoga, fishing and more.
Attendees have the opportunity to learn from world-class women shooters who also excel at training, and will familiarize themselves with a variety of handguns, rifles, and shotguns. New this year is a .50-caliber shooting station. This year’s sponsors, along with NSSF, include Armscor/Rock Island Armory, Glock, FN America LLC, Patriot Defense, Mace Security International, Inc., Fiocchi USA, Anteris Alliance, Hiviz Sights, Sticky Holsters, Howard Leight, Gun Rodeo, Crossbreed, Umarex/Gnat Warfare, Colorado Bowhunters Association, Gun Goddess and Otis Technology.
One of the highlights of this year’s event will be a silent auction to benefit selected charities. WOMA has invited Jodie Grenier, an Operation Iraqi Freedom Marine veteran and Executive Director of the Foundation for Women Warriors, which assists women veterans returning to civilian life. Both the FWW and the 100 Club of Houston, which supports families of local first responders killed in the line of duty, provide equipment and replace service dogs, have been selected as this year’s beneficiaries of the SNQ program.
Hi Point Creates Solution to Keep Pistol Caliber Carbines CA Legal
Hi-Point carbines are now legal in California again.
The California legislature’s NEW firearm restrictions now make pistol grip carbines illegal there. Fortunately for California carbine lovers, Hi-Point has a solution-the Hi-Point California-compliant carbine and retro fit kit.
Hi-Point, maker of the most popular and affordable carbine of their type in the country, created a California-only version of its carbine without the threaded barrel and with a modification that meets the state’s new requirements.
The factory-installed “California-compliant Paddle” is a flat panel attached to the pistol grip that eliminates the full pistol grip function and feel.
Hi-Point California-compliant carbines come in 9mm, .40 S&W, .45ACP and 10mm, and the base MSRP of all California Compliant calibers will increase between $45 and $50, depending on model, configuration, and caliber. And as with any Hi-Point carbine or hand gun, compliant carbines can be purchased through any local gun shop or FFL sporting goods store in California.
More good news: Hi-Point carbine owners can retrofit their existing Hi-Point carbines to comply with California law! Existing Hi-Point carbines are NOT grandfathered in, so to stay legal in California Hi-Point California carbine owners can purchase the compliance paddle and attach it themselves.
NRA Membership Dues Scheduled for Another Imminent Increase
CLICK HERE to join or renew today at discounted rates
If you are a current member who retrieved your National Rifle Association publication, such as Shooting Illustrated, American Rifleman, American Hunter, or America’s First Freedom from your mailbox, or if you visited the NRA website, you were likely greeted by the news that dues are set to increase again in the very near future.
The half-cover of the August 2018 issue of NRA magazines (sent mid-July) posits that the increase is set to take place on August 1st.
You may recall that the gun rights lobbying group’s dues also increased in 2016 in the run-up ahead of the big push during the presidential election campaign. You may also recall that the eventual increase came only after the organization kicked the can down the road a number of times, issuing the date of the increase only to keep pushing it back several times before the inevitable price hike. While that may happen again with this increase, it also may very well not. We don’t have any insider information about that, but we will share whatever we find out as soon as we know.
Even though this is the second time in as many years that price increases have taken place, NRA touts the fact that dues increases are few and far between. The inside jacket of the magazine reads: “On August 1, 2018, NRA dues will increase for only the second time in more than 20 years. There’s simply no other way we can stop a gun-ban takeover of the U.S. Congress and save our Second Amendment Rights. But you can beat the dues increase by renewing today.”
In addition to beating the dues increase, you can also get extra savings on your NRA membership dues here. Even after the increase, this link will provide savings off of the normal new member and renewal fees, although the prices there will automatically adjust once the increase goes into effect.
DOJ, SAF Reach Settlement in Defense Distributed Lawsuit
The Department of Justice and Second Amendment Foundation have reached a settlement in SAF’s lawsuit on behalf of Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed over free speech issues related to 3-D files and other information that may be used to manufacture lawful firearms.
SAF and Defense Distributed had filed suit against the State Department under the Obama administration, challenging a May 2013 attempt to control public speech as an export under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), a Cold War-era law intended to control exports of military articles.
Under terms of the settlement, the government has agreed to waive its prior restraint against the plaintiffs, allowing them to freely publish the 3-D files and other information at issue. The government has also agreed to pay a significant portion of the plaintiffs’ attorney’s fees, and to return $10,000 in State Department registration dues paid by Defense Distributed as a result of the prior restraint.
Significantly, the government expressly acknowledges that non-automatic firearms up to .50-caliber – including modern semi-auto sporting rifles such as the popular AR-15 and similar firearms – are not inherently military.
“Not only is this a First Amendment victory for free speech, it also is a devastating blow to the gun prohibition lobby,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “For years, anti-gunners have contended that modern semi-automatic sport-utility rifles are so-called ‘weapons of war,’ and with this settlement, the government has acknowledged they are nothing of the sort.
“Under this settlement,” he continued, “the government will draft and pursue regulatory amendments that eliminate ITAR control over the technical information at the center of this case. They will transfer export jurisdiction to the Commerce Department, which does not impose prior restraint on public speech. That will allow Defense Distributed and SAF to publish information about 3-D technology.”
Judge Brett Kavanaugh Has Earned NRA Members’ Support
NRA members can feel confident throwing their enthusiastic support behind President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Throughout his time on the bench, Judge Kavanaugh has demonstrated deep respect for the Second Amendment as construed in Justice Antonin Scalia’s landmark decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. Moreover, his record on the Second Amendment is well established. As Second Amendment scholar and University of Denver Law Professor Dave Kopel wrote earlier this week, “No nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court has had such a detailed record on Second Amendment as does Brett Kavanaugh.”
The bulk of Judge Kavanaugh’s record on the Second Amendment comes from his 2011 dissent in Heller v. District of Columbia, or Heller II. The case concerned a challenge to Washington, D.C.’s ban on commonly-owned semi-automatic rifles and the city’s onerous firearms registration regime.
Under much constitutional precedence, courts are tasked with interpreting a law’s impact on a given right by using a system of tiered balancing tests, where they weigh the government’s interest against the right at stake. Fundamental rights are tested under a strict scrutiny standard, whereby the government has the burden of showing that a given restriction serves a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive means to further that interest. Lesser infringements are tested using intermediate scrutiny, which requires a restriction to serve an important government interest and that the means of doing so are substantially related to the interest. All laws are subject to the rational basis test, whereby a given restriction must be at least rationally related to a legitimate government purpose. Continue reading
