NSSF: 2021 SHOT Show Moving Forward
The Show Must Go On
In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has been shutting down businesses and grinding trade shows to a halt (I have missed exhibiting at two and attending another two already), firearms industry trade organization National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has announced that the 2021 SHOT Show will go on as planned.
The Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trades Show, scheduled for January 19-22, is the largest show of its kind. With the expansion into the brand new Caesars Forum, this 43rd iteration of the SHOT Show will be the biggest one yet – featuring nearly three-quarters of a million square feet (nearly 17 acres) of exhibit space.
Despite rumors that several big names are already pulling back from the show over Coronavirus concerns, NSSF said that the SHOT Show team has spent the past month working with industry manufacturers and suppliers to confirm exhibitors and plans to have nearly 3,000 booths on display.
“The health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, media, and our employees is a foremost priority,” noted NSSF Senior VP, Chris Dolnack. “We are in constant contact with our partners monitoring the latest developments in the COVID-19 pandemic as well as clarifying important safety protocols and guidelines for large events.”
Dolnack said that, although the 2021 SHOT Show may feel a bit different thanks to health and safety precautions (likely meaning mask requirements, lower attendance, social distancing guidelines, and so on), the critical buying and networking opportunities should be very much the same.
From the opening shots of the invite-only SHOT Show Range Day to the 17 acres of exhibit floor, the GunLink team will be at the show to bring you the latest news, product releases, and reviews as we celebrate our 10th year of SHOT Show coverage.
Stay tuned to the GunLink Blog and GunLink Forums for full coverage and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for live updates before, during, and after the show.
NSSF Likely Voter Survey Shows Firearm Free Choice a Key Election Issue
NSSF
, the trade association for the firearm industry, surveyed likely voters in 18 election battleground states and learned that enforcing existing gun laws and protecting lawful firearms sales is on the forefront of voters’ minds. The survey results can be found here, at NSSF’s website.
NSSF learned that 94 percent surveyed are very likely to vote. Nearly three quarters responded they would be more likely to support a political candidate that supported true firearm safety programs. Nearly 60 percent believe a ban on semiautomatic Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) would not reduce crime in their community and more than half said law-abiding citizens should be able to choose the type of firearm and amount of legal ammunition for lawful use. More than half also oppose a ban on MSRs.
More than half believe self-defense is the primary motivation for firearm ownership. Nearly half surveyed said magazine capacity limits for self-defense would have no effect on crime reduction. Forty-one percent said enforcing existing laws would have an immediate impact on reducing criminal misuse of firearms. Continue reading
NSSF Opens 2020 Hunting Heritage Trust Grant Program Application Process
Our industry is invested in recruiting new participants, retaining current participants and re-activating lapsed participants in hunting and the shooting sports. These “R3” initiatives have gained traction over the past several years, including those supported by NSSF’s +ONESM Movement and National Shooting Sports Month.
To help further all R3 efforts in hunting and the shooting sports, in 2018 NSSF set aside $1 million and created the NSSF Hunting Heritage Trust Grant Program. Each year for 10 years starting in 2019, $100,000 in grants are made available for R3 projects across the country. Last year’s inaugural grant cycle awarded grants to five separate projects that focused on R3 programs as varied as building mentor databases, increasing participation by women, college-level recruitment efforts and building R3 marketing toolkits for state wildlife agencies.
The 2020 Hunting Heritage Trust Grant Program is now open for application. The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2020. Information on how to apply and grant requirements is available here.
Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Jim Curcuruto, NSSF Director, Research & Market Development, at jcurcuruto@nssf.org or 203-426-1320 ext. 234, or Melanie Knox, NSSF Marketing Assistant, at mknox@nssf.org or 203-426-1320 ext. 270.
NSSF PAC Achieves Unprecedented Support in 2019
More than $250,000 in contributions, 77 pro-industry legislators supported
The National Shooting Sports Foundation Political Action Committee, NSSF PAC, released its 2019 Year in Review report to members and industry partners announcing over $250,000 in contributions received during the last year. The contribution total represents unprecedented support for the NSSF PAC during an off-election year and places the committee in a strong position to support pro-firearm and ammunition industry legislators during the 2020 election year.
“NSSF had a tremendously successful 2019 and accomplished our mission to place member companies in the best position to be successful moving forward,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF PAC Treasurer and Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Public Affairs. “With the financial resources the NSSF PAC received from our friends in the firearm, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry last year, we look forward to working to elect even more pro-industry, pro-sportsmen and pro-Second Amendment allies to join us in Washington, D.C. after November’s elections.”
Highlights included in detail in the 2019 NSSF PAC Year in Review: Continue reading
NSSF: Firearm Industry Economic Impact Rises 213% Since 2008
The total economic impact of the firearm and ammunition industry in the United States increased from $19.1 billion in 2008 to $60 billion in 2019, a 213-percent increase, while the total number of full-time-equivalent jobs rose from approximately 166,000 to over 332,000, a 100-percent increase in that period, according to a report released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry trade association.
On a year-over-year basis, the industry’s economic impact rose from $52 in 2018 to $60 billion. Total jobs increased by 20,000 in the same period, from nearly 312,000 to over 332,000. The broader impact of the industry flows throughout the economy and supports and generates business for firms seemingly unrelated to firearms at a time when every job in America counts. These are real people, with real jobs, working in industries as varied as banking, retail, accounting, metalworking and printing, among others.
The firearm and ammunition industry paid over $6.74 billion in business taxes, including property, income and sales-based levies.
“Our industry continues to show the steady and reliable growth that is a hallmark of a healthy industry,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “The workers who comprise our ranks are the fabric of our communities. They produce the highest quality firearms and ammunition that millions of law-abiding Americans rely upon to exercise their fundamental right to keep and bear arms and safely enjoy the recreational shooting sports. This growth translates to more jobs that add to our local economies, averaging $55,200 in wages and benefits. In addition, since 2008 we increased federal tax payments by 162 percent, Pittman-Robertson excise taxes that support wildlife conservation by 79 percent and state business taxes by 116 percent.”
The Firearm and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report provides a state-by-state breakdown of job numbers, wages and output covering direct, supplier and induced employment, as well as federal excise taxes paid. Access the full report here.
NSSF Thanks Trump Administration for Industry’s Critical Infrastructure Designation
Department of Homeland Security includes firearm manufacturing, distribution, retail and ranges as essential critical services.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearm and ammunition industry, is grateful for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) inclusion of the firearm industry’s manufacturing, distribution, retail and range businesses as essential critical services that should remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic. NSSF has been working closely with the Trump Administration and DHS to convey the important role the firearm and ammunition industry performs for national security, public safety, and the ability for continued exercise of individual constitutional liberties and self-protection.
“We are deeply appreciative to the Trump Administration and Department of Homeland Security for recognizing the vital role our industry fulfills in our nation,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NSSF. “We have seen over the past week hundreds of thousands, even millions of Americans choosing to exercise their right to keep and bear arms to ensure their safety and the safety of loved ones during these uncertain times. Americans must not be denied the ability to exercise that right to lawfully purchase and acquire firearms during times of emergency. This guidance from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is crucial to governors and local officials as they craft the orders to preserve public health.” Continue reading
