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Dear NSSF Members: It’s been two months since I came on board with NSSF as its new president. I must admit that I thought I knew a lot about what NSSF does for our industry, but what I knew was only scratching the surface. And that’s why I’m writing to you all today. One of my first orders of business is to try and convey to you all, our members, some of the very important things NSSF is doing for you that you might not have realized. This is the first of a quarterly update I’ll be providing to members, to provide everyone with a snapshot of what NSSF is doing, and what that means for you and your business. |
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According to my iPhone fitness app, I walked more than 15 miles in just over two days in a recent visit to our NSSF Washington, D.C., office. I, along with members of the NSSF team, attended numerous events hosted by members of Congress.
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 I’ve been very impressed to see how much NSSF is doing on the compliance front for firearms retailer and shooting range members. NSSF members have access to FFL Compliance Consultants (former ATF officials and compliance experts), the Starting Point compliance program for businesses just getting started, the Range Action Specialist program, and so many other helpful resources. Not to mention the legal defense fund and additional compliance-related help available for Premium members. If you haven’t taken the time to explore the resources available to you, I urge you to do so. Also know that Zach Snow, our range services director, and John McNamara, our retail services senior director, are there for you at all times. |
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 One of the great joys of my life has been teaching my children to shoot. It’s obvious that being a mentor for new hunters and shooters is the best way to ensure the future of the sport that we love, but it also ingrains a love and respect for the outdoors and everything nature has to offer. In getting out to the range and/or field with a new hunter or shooter, you may very well shape her/his opinions for the rest of their lives. We at NSSF understand and appreciate this, which is why we have created two new websites dedicated to engaging both experienced and novice hunters and shooters. LetsGoHunting.org and LetsGoShooting.org have tons of great content that will provide valuable and interesting information. Couple those sites with our recruitment, retention and reengagement efforts, as part of our new +ONE initiative, as well as the million dollars that NSSF has committed over the next ten years as part of the Hunting Heritage Trust initiative, and you will see that we are making great strides in promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports for generations to come. Please take a look at those sites to see for yourself, and please make it a point to mentor new hunters and shooters. |
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A disturbing trend that we are seeing all too much these days is the blatant virtue signaling by major corporations and financial institutions. Apparently, if someone decides to engage in hunting, the shooting sports, or decides to carry or own a firearm to protect one’s family, they should be shunned, made to feel ashamed, or have their credit or banking relationships destroyed. It is terrible that constitutionally protected rights can be so casually disregarded and voluntarily discarded. It is axiomatic that rights, once lost, are never regained. NSSF is pushing back against the demonization of hunting, shooting and the right to self-defense. We have developed and published the “Making A Difference For A Safer America” campaign and advertising to show all the good things that we, as an industry, do to educate, support and fund programs that truly make America safer. Look at NSSF programs such as Don’t Lie for the Other Guy, Operation Secure Store, and our FixNICS initiative – recently enacted as federal law – thanks to NSSF’s efforts. These are just the beginning. Project ChildSafe, another NSSF initiative, has distributed more than 37 million free gun locks. Our Own It? Respect It. Secure It. program provides meaningful education on how to safely secure firearms in homes where children or other at-risk individuals may reside. We have launched a suicide prevention program in cooperation with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The Foundation has been a great partner in getting out the message that suicide is preventable, and that this industry can help in this worthy effort.
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As a result, I was introduced to countless U.S. senators, representatives and their staffs. It was like the NSSF Fly-In on steroids. Our ability to not only attend these events, but also to speak directly to members of Congress on important issues was incredible. I’ve often said, “It’s not who you know, but who knows you,” and I can say with conviction, members of Congress and their staffers knowthe NSSF. It was clear that they are looking for objective, factual and concise information on firearms-related issues, and that they seek out the NSSF to provide that information to them. This was just a couple of days for me, but this is the reality of every day for our NSSF staff in D.C. – all in the interest of you and our entire industry. Some of what we discussed with lawmakers included the FFL Protection Act; the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act; and the ongoing discrimination by financial institutions against members of our industry. I was very proud to see the relationships that have been forged on Capitol Hill, and please know that we are using this same approach in state legislatures throughout this country.