The digital edition of the Day 3 issue of SHOT Daily is now available online. SHOT Daily is brought to you by The Bonnier Corp. and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. (Also available in PDF format here.)
Author: Bill Dunn
Video: First Timers to 34th Timers Flock to SHOT Show
Most people don’t like traffic, but exhibitors at the 2012 SHOT Show love it. Business has been brisk at the show so far, and there’s still two days to go.
NSSF’s roving reporter Ann Baldwin has been roaming the show floor. Here’s her look back at the show’s opening day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poiobUXV3zw
State of the Industry: More Unified Than Ever, Says NSSF President
In his 34 years in the industry, NSSF President Steve Sanetti said he has never seen the industry more unified.
During the SHOT Show’s annual State of the Industry event, Sanetti said that membership in NSSF, the industry’s trade association, is more than double what it was just five years ago.
“Together we comprise a record number of more than 7,000 of America’s favorite firearms and ammunition manufacturers, wholesalers, importers, retailers, shooting ranges, gun clubs, conservation groups, outdoor media, safety instructors, and many others, who share our avocation and our passion for our industry and our uniquely American way of life,” Sanetti said. “Our membership has never been stronger or more engaged. We have had great success in recent years solidfying our industry’s base of support.”
While the nation’s economy has remained stagnant the past few years, the firearms and ammunition industry has been one of its few bright spots.
“Eighteen consecutive quarters of sales growth, as evidenced most recently by an all-time high number of mandatory point-of-sales background checks in December, and during the worst recession since the great depression, would be an enviable feat for any industry. Yet we have achieved it, and we have shared our prosperity by giving back,” Sanetti said.
Sanetti said the industry’s success has also helped fuel the nation’s conservation programs, and he pointed out that 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the Pittman/Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, which created the dedicated excise tax on firearms and ammunition. This year, he said, the industry will continue to spread the word to all Americans that hunters and shooters provide the vast majority of financial support for conservation.
With 2012 being a critical election year, Sanetti said, NSSF will ensure that candidates and voters are educated on all issues affecting the industry and firearm freedoms.
“We will not presume to tell any of you how to cast your vote. But I can promise you this. Your industry’s voice will be heard. We will educate voters and legislators and candidates alike as to our legitimate interests, and about our hopes and concerns regarding where this great nation of ours is going,” he said.
Watch the complete State of the Industry presentation here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJQe5g6qD74
‘Blue Book of Gun Values’ Author Fjestad Honored with Communicator Award
The Professional Outdoor Media Association and NSSF honored veteran communicator and best-selling author S.P. Fjestad with the prestigious POMA/NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award during the SHOT Show State of the Industry Dinner.
In honor of legendary outdoor communicator Grits Gresham, POMA and NSSF developed the Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award in 2005. It recognizes communicators within the firearms/shooting sports/Second Amendment arena who grasp the ideals, foster the commitment, and display the talent Gresham showed during his storied career.
While working in the Investment Rarities (IRI) Firearms Division during the 1980s, Fjestad became the author and publisher of the Blue Book of Gun Values. With over 1.4 million copies in print, it remains the best-selling gun book worldwide. The Blue Book of Gun Values also has been pictured in Time magazine and listed as a reference source in The Wall Street Journal.
NSSF Says 2012 Firearms Sales Outlook Promising after Record-Setting Year
Many indicators, including a record-setting 2011, show the firearms industry continues to thrive in a down economy and that the potential exists for another strong sales year in 2012, NSSF reported at a press conference today at the SHOT Show.
The $4 billion firearms and ammunition industry stands apart from other industries that are struggling in the slow economy. Demand for guns has continued at a robust pace since late 2008. NSSF estimates the industry is responsible for approximately 180,000 jobs and has impact on the U.S. economy of $28 billion.
Indicators such as background-check statistics, firearms production and importation, firearm-retailer surveys and on-the-ground reports from retailers nationwide reveal that interest in firearm ownership is high.
“More and more Americans are choosing to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and they are doing so in a safe and responsible manner,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.
Reports also suggest increased demand for concealed carry permits and for learn-to-shoot seminars such as NSSF’s First Shots program. “We have seen a lot of first-time buyers in our store,” said Joe Keffer, owner of the Sportsman’s Shop in New Holland, Pa. “People want information. They’re interested in instruction.”
One of the best indicators of firearms sales is the FBI’s National Instant Background Check System, which federally licensed firearm retailers use to conduct the mandatory background check on purchasers of new and used firearms. NSSF downwardly adjusts the NICS data by subtracting checks related to non-purchasing activity, such as checks for concealed carry permits, in order to gain a more accurate picture of market activity.
December marked an unprecedented 19th straight month of background check increases when compared to the same period in the previous year. NSSF-adjusted background checks for December totaled more than 1,410,937 (1,854,400 “unadjusted”)–the most ever for any single month. This comes on the heels of the historic “Black Friday” (Nov. 25, 2011) record for the most background checks in a single day–129,166–a 32 percent increase over the previous one-day high.
Another indicator pointing to robust gun sales is the federal excise taxes collected on the sale of new firearms and ammunition, which have risen 48.3 percent over the last five years.
Why are more Americans choosing to own firearms? Reasons range from citizens’ increased awareness of the Second Amendment protecting the individual right to own firearms that was reaffirmed in two recent Supreme Court decisions, to increased interest in personal and home protection that may be due to economic uncertainty, to increased interest in the shooting sports and hunting.
Politics has played a role, too, with a surge in firearms sale beginning in October 2008, in part because supporters of the Second Amendment feared the election of less gun-friendly candidates, including Barack Obama, and new, restrictive gun laws they might advocate. Though such legislation has not happened, industry professionals at the SHOT Show believe a similar reaction this election year is possible that could ignite another surge in firearm sales.
Related to the topic of gun sales is the public’s changing attitude toward ownership. A recent Gallop poll showed a record lack of support for gun control, with only 26 percent of Americans favoring a ban on the possession of handguns. When Gallup first asked Americans this question some 50 years ago, 60 percent favored banning handguns.
As sales climb, recent FBI data shows violent crime continuing to fall in the United States, with homicides dropping out of the top 15 causes of death in the country. The statistics undermine a favorite argument of anti-gun groups that “more guns equal more crime.”
“These statistics vividly demonstrate that the lawful possession and use of firearms by law-abiding Americans does not cause crime,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “There have never been more firearms in civilian possession in the history of the United States, and crime, including homicide, continues to decline throughout the country.”
Whether they own firearms for target shooting, hunting, collecting or personal and home protection, Americans are enthusiastic and protective about guns they own. Several polls indicate Americans’ high interest level for, and increased participation in, the shooting sports.
In 2010, an NSSF/Harris poll showed that 43 percent of respondents, which equates to nearly 98 million people, expressed some level of interest in participating in the shooting sports or hunting.
A 2010 NSSF/Responsive Management study showed that 15 percent of the U.S. population, representing 34.4 million people nationwide, went target shooting in 2009. This number surpassed all previous estimates of annual sport shooting participation. Among the most active participants are those who own a modern sporting rifle (MSR), a best-selling rifle type that is based on the popular AR platform and is the civilian, semiautomatic version of the military’s M16. According to a 2011 NSSF survey, MSR owners go target shooting more often than individuals who own other types of firearms. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed said they shot 1,000 rounds of ammunition in the last 12 months with their MSRs.
As for hunting, the decades-long national decline in hunting license sales has ceased, and more than 20 states have reported increases in hunting licenses sold.
Women, in particular, seem eager to explore firearms ownership. Participation by women increased in both target shooting (46.5 percent) and hunting (36.6 percent) in the last decade, according to the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers. Also, 61 percent of firearm retailers responding to an NSSF survey said they saw an increase in female customers in their stores.
More firearms in civilian possession neither equates to more crime nor to more accidents. NSSF points out that safe and responsible firearms ownership is the norm, not the exception. With an estimated 85 to 90 million firearms owners in the country, accidental firearms fatalities are at a historic low, a level that industry and other concerned groups are working to maintain through such programs as NSSF’s Project ChildSafe, which provides free firearms safety kits to law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Dolnack: SHOT Show a Chance for New Companies to Become Next Iconic Brand
At last night’s State of the Industry Dinner sponsored by Outdoor Channel, Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president and chief marketing officer, opened the evening with these comments:
We’re thrilled to have you with us here tonight as the industry kicks off a brand new year with exciting new product launches and eager new exhibitors.
The 2012 SHOT Show is the launching pad of hopes and dreams for more than 100 first-time exhibitors who were previously wait listed. These upstarts are following the trail blazed by industry icons that came before them.
Companies like GLOCK that started out small, exhibiting at their first SHOT Show in 1987 with an innovative new product that changed the way we looked at pistol design and created a whole new product category.
Companies like Realtree, which was launched by Bill Jordan at the SHOT Show with a few pieces of clothing, a 20-by-20-foot booth which was only half paid for when the show opened, and a whole lot of moxie.
On the opening morning of the show, the Bass Pro Shops buyer walked into the Realtree booth. Ten minutes later, the Oshman’s buyer walked into the booth. After another ten minutes, here came the Wal-Mart buyer. And by the end of that SHOT Show all three had placed orders and Jordan was able to quit ducking show manager Jerry van Dijk and pay the balance on his booth.
Because, you see, the SHOT Show isn’t just about transactional commerce. The SHOT Show is about face-to-face meetings between people who are passionate about hunting and shooting and who are committed to providing their respective customers with products that will enhance their hunting or shooting experience.
Survey after survey reveals that our customers come to the SHOT Show to gather additional information on new products that will help them in making their buying decisions. That’s because the SHOT Show is the one place you can go to see everyone and everything you need to gain a competitive edge.
The SHOT Show is the largest gathering of outdoor media anywhere with over 2,100 writers, broadcasters and bloggers here. The SHOT Show is also the largest cutlery show and the largest law enforcement show anywhere.
By repurposing the SHOT Show floor and opening up exhibit space for those companies that represent our core hunting, shooting and tactical business we’ve infused the SHOT Show with new product offerings that will offer retailers new opportunities when these 100 waitlisted companies begin their journey to becoming the next generation of iconic industry brands.
Thanks for being here tonight and for supporting NSSF.
SHOT Daily — Day 2
The digital edition of the Day 2 issue of SHOT Daily is now available online. SHOT Daily is brought to you by The Bonnier Corp. and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. (Also available in PDF format here.)
View Photos from SHOT Show on Flickr and Instagram
Throughout the show, photos from the floor and other events are being uploaded to the SHOT Show Flickr page. We’ve also started posting pics to Instagram, so please feel free to give us a follow. Just search “shotshow.”
The show’s Flickr page is here: http://flickr.com/shotshow.
Nevada’s U.S. Senator Dean Heller Tours SHOT Show
The National Shooting Sports Foundation showed Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nevada) around the SHOT Show today. Heller also spoke at last night’s industry political action committee (PAC) reception. At the show, NSSF briefed him on key industry issues.
Heller was appointed to the U.S. Senate last year by Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) and will seek election to a full term this November. He previously served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Senator Heller is a rock-solid supporter of our industry and our Second Amendment rights,” said Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for NSSF. “His participation is an excellent opportunity to again bring our elected officials front and center with industry executives and discuss how best to grow the industry and participation in the shooting sports.”
Heller’s attendance at the SHOT Show underscores the continued importance of the firearms and ammunition industry to the U.S. economy. Despite the continued recession and high unemployment, demand for industry products has reached unprecedented levels. Strong growth of firearm and ammunition sales has fueled job growth and tax payments that support communities and also conservation programs through the Pittman-Robertson Fund.
Nationally, the firearms and ammunition industry accounts for more than 180,000 jobs and $28 billion in economic activity. The SHOT Show is one of the largest trade shows in North America, attracting approximately 58,000 industry professionals and providing $60 million in economic activity for Las Vegas.
Heller currently serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and the Special Committee on Aging.
Political leaders are no strangers to SHOT show. Former Massachusetts governor and 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) attended a previous show.
SHOT Daily — Day 1
The digital edition of the Day 1 issue of SHOT Daily is now available online. SHOT Daily is brought to you by The Bonnier Corp. and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. (Also available in PDF format here.)
