NSSF has released a short video to help attendees at the 2012 SHOT Show. This how-to video provides tips for planning meetings as well as mapping and navigating the show floor. It’s wise to plan out your show visit ahead of time. Navigating the maze-like interior of the Venetian Hotel and the multiple levels of the Sands Convention/Expo Center can be challenging to say the least. With 1600+ exhibiting companies, spread out over a 600,000 square-foot area, it’s easy to be overwhelmed, and even easier to waste time retracing your steps. You’ll get the most out of the SHOT show by identifying your priority booth locations, and then creating a walking plan that logically moves from one key booth to the next. The SHOT Show is only 35 days away, so there’s no time like the present to start mapping your show.
Sands Expo Center a Maze-Like Disappointment
What’s wrong with the Sands Expo Center? You name it. The “host” hotel is the Venetian, which is way too expensive for most attendees, not to mention a nightmare to navigate. General “front door” access is poor and there is no on-site parking at all (you have to park at adjacent hotels on the strip). The lower levels are dungeon-like with poor lighting and bad acoustics. The conference rooms are hard to find and most are either too big or too small. The Sands Center has multiple, odd-shaped levels which lack logical ingress/egress points. Floorplans are inconsistent from level to level, and bathrooms are hard to locate. Some popular sections, such as the tactical/police displays, are exiled to upper halls that are hard to reach from the main entrance. Worst of all, to get into the show, most visitors must walk a quarter-mile through the dark, noisy, maze-like interior of the Venetian hotel. It is very easy to get lost in that nightmare of a hotel. On a 1:10 scale, we give the Sands Expo Center a “3″ and that’s only because it’s (barely) big enough and the main hall is bright, with high ceilings (albeit with a leaky roof).
Smart phones and flat-screen TVs weren’t the only things flying off retailers’ shelves during the recent “Black Friday” sales fest. Americans bought firearms in record numbers on Black Friday 2011. The FBI recorded 129,166 firearm background requests on November 25, 2011, an all-time, single-day high. That’s 32% higher than any day on record, exceeding the previous one-day high of 97,848 background checks on Black Friday of 2008. (Note: The actual number of firearms purchased, in all likelihood, exceeds the number of background checks, because one buyer can purchase multiple guns with a single background check.)
No one really knows why gun sales went through the roof this shopping season. Many large vendors, such as Cabela’s, offered deep discounts. Also hit cable television shows such as Top Shot and Sons of Guns have popularized shooting, emphasizing the “cool factor” of gun ownership. These TV series stirred interest in firearms among many Americans who, just a few years ago, had limited awareness of hunting and the shooting sports.
Women and First-Time Buyers Drive Sales
Statistics suggest that newcomers to shooting (and first-time buyers) are driving the increase in sales. USA Today reports: “Some gun industry analysts attributed the unusual surge to a convergence of factors, including an increasing number of first-time buyers seeking firearms for protection and women who are being drawn to sport shooting and hunting.”
According to the NSSF’s Larry Keane, “I think there also is a burgeoning awakening of the American public that they do have a constitutional right to own guns.” Keene noted that 25% of sales are going to first-time buyers, many of whom are women. This is a good thing for the shooting sports. As more females acquire firearms for both personal defense and for recreational use, we can expect the ranks of female competitive shooters to grow.
When you’re passing the turkey and stuffing around the Thanksgiving dinner table, here’s a story to tell — one that would not be possible without the generosity of hunters. A new study commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and conducted by Mile Creek Communications reveals that last year 11 million meals were provided to the less fortunate through donations of venison by hunters. Nearly 2.8 million pounds of game meat made its way to shelters, food banks and church kitchens and onto the plates of those in need.
The study revealed that donations were largest in the Midwest and the South. The Midwest provided 1.3 million pounds of game meat, amounting to 46.1 percent of total donations, with the South close behind at 1.25 million pounds and 45.7 percent. The Northeast contributed 7.2 percent of total donations and the West 1 percent. Though lower than other regions, the West’s contribution still accounted for 108,520 meals. “These figures are from confirmed sources, but annual donations could easily be double this amount if ‘direct’ donations from hunters to friends and family are included”, noted Jim Curcuruto, NSSF’s Research Director.
Many hunters choose to work with organizations dedicated to the cause of helping the hungry, such as Hunters for the Hungry, Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Hunt to Feed, and Buckmasters, among others. The game meat satisfies shelters’ need for nutritious food items. Dave Williams, who manages food resources for a Georgia food bank, said that “Deer venison is such a low-fat, high-protein item, agencies greatly appreciate getting it.” Another recent news report pointed out that one deer can feed up to 200 people. Ground venison is a versatile food, with cooks using it in pasta sauces, chili, tacos, meatloaf, burgers and other dishes.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has released the results of its latest online survey of active hunters and target shooters. Each month the NSSF surveys shooters’ buying preferences for particular types of merchandise. In August, the NSSF asked shooters to rank the brand(s) of rifle ammo they had purchased most often so far in 2011. Remington lead the way, followed by Federal, Winchester, Hornady, and CCI (in that order).
The NSSF also asked hunters and shooters about their overall spending patterns for the year 2011. Respondents were asked: “Do you think you are buying more, less, or the same amount of hunting equipment so far in 2011 as compared to 2010?”
No hunting on Sunday — sounds old-fashioned, right? It may surprise you, but 11 states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia) still have sunday-hunting prohibitions that date back to “blue laws” enacted in the 1700s. But now there is a strong effort to change that in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Sportsmen Urged to Attend 10/27 Hearing
The Pennsylvania House Game and Fisheries Committee will hold its third and final public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 27, beginning at 9 a.m. in Room 140 of the Main Capitol Building in Harrisburg, PA. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) along with the Sunday Hunting Coalition is urging all sportsmen to come out and show their support for the removal of this antiquated blue law. NSSF has sent this call to action to every firearms retailer in the state urging their customers to support the repeal and take action by calling committee members. The NSSF estimates that allowing hunting on Sunday could increase economic activity in Pennsylvania to the tune of more than $764 million annually.
Portrait Photographer Lindsay McCrum’s new book, Chicks with Guns, is drawing welcome attention to the growing number of women who own firearms for target shooting, hunting, personal defense and collecting. [Editor: Over 15 Million American women are packing heat according to Msnbc.com.]
The book’s intent is described this way: “Because gun ownership and shooting cut across class, age, occupation, background and geography in America, guns are resolutely democratic. And the women depicted in ‘Chicks with Guns’ represent this variety. They reside in all regions of the country, come from all levels of society, and participate seriously in diverse shooting activities. From policewomen to hunters, ranchers to competition shooters, the collection of portraits in ‘Chicks with Guns’ defies stereotypes often associated with aspects of the popular culture of both guns and women.”
McCrum’s photographs tell a powerful story, just as these statistics do: Participation by women in target shooting has increased 46.5 percent from 2001 to 2010 and in hunting by 36.6 percent in the same period, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. In an NSSF survey of firearms retailers, 61% of respondents saw an increase in female customers in their store in 2010 over 2009.
Other evidence, too, such as the strong turnouts by women in concealed carry classes nationwide and in NSSF’s First Shots seminars, helps confirm this trend. (First Shots introduces newcomers to target shooting by providing both a classroom overview and supervised live-fire experience.) This is nothing new to the hunting and shooting community, but we think the compelling photographs in “Chicks with Guns” will bring the trend to life for those less familiar with our traditions and our pastimes.
Editor’s Comment: I wouldn’t rush out to buy this book for your coffee-table, though it might make a nice gift for a lady shooter in the family. I’ve looked through the book. The photography is professional, but overall, mostly static and uninspired. I’d give it a B+ grade. This book wouldn’t have received much media attention but for the somewhat controversial subject matter and the catchy title. Still, ‘Chicks with Guns’ presents female shooters in a positive light, and that’s a good thing.
Hunters and shooters — along with the firearms and ammunition industry — are among the leading financial contributors to conservation in America, paying for programs that benefit our nation and all its wildlife. Saturday, Sept. 24, is National Hunting and Fishing Day, a day to honor and celebrate the contributions of sportsmen and women. Across the country this weekend Americans will celebrate by attending events, by teaching others about the efforts of sportsmen or simply by enjoying the outdoor traditions they love with the ones they love. To learn more about NHF Day visit www.nhfday.org.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reports that the USD value of U.S. quarterly imports of all sporting arms and ammunition declined 19% in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2010. From April to June, imports were $273 million, down from $337.1 million as reported in the same quarter last year. However, the decline was mostly due to a huge 42% drop in ammo imports. Imported long-gun sales (in USD value) have actually risen substantially. Sales of imported rifles rose 26.3%, from $27.1 million to $34.2 million.The shotgun category increased 23.4%, from $38.3 million to $47.2 million. The muzzleloader category posted a 7% increase, from $6 million to $6.5 million. Bucking the trend, handgun imports declined 13.1%, from $109.5 million to $95.1 million.
Imported Ammunition Sales Decline Dramatically
Over the past year, ammunition imports declined a whopping 42.2%, from $151.2 million (in Q2, 2010) to $87.4 million (in Q2, 2011). Moreover, the sales of imported shotgun shells fell 48.7%, from $5 million to $2.5 million. Apparently, now that there is a good supply of domestically-produced ammo, shooters are buying American again. Why has this occured? Currency fluctuations may be one reason. The declining value of the U.S. dollar, combined with rising shipping costs, have caused the price of imported ammo (and reloading components) to increase substantially in the past year. That has made domestic ammo more competitive price-wise. That is good news for U.S. ammo-makers. For additional research information and historical import data, visit nssf.org/research.
Would you like to increase attendance at your matches and expand the membership of your shooting club? Then check out the latest issue of The Range Report, NSSF’s magazine for shooting facilities. The free digital edition can be viewed online, or downloaded for future reference. Feature stories include how to attract traditional shooters and re-enactment groups for traffic and revenue, one range’s strategy for maximizing exposure on a limited budget and how a statewide gathering sparked Wisconsin ranges to organize. To access more resources for shooting ranges, visit nssf.org/ranges.
Check out gun industry insider info in the latest issue of SHOT Business magazine, now available online at www.shotbusiness.com. This month the magazine explores the growing interest of female shooters in “modern sporting rifles” — ARs aren’t just for guys anymore. Those of our readers who sell firearm gear will appreciate this month’s analysis of hot selling new products. The interesting new Vortek muzzle-loading pistol is reviewed. This is a long-barrel hunting pistol, similar in appearance to a T/C Contender (but without the break-open action). Other features in this month’s issue include a Q&A discussion about ATF regulations, a feature on air rifles, and a commentary on the upcoming 2012 SHOT Show.
Women and First-Time Buyers Drive Sales
No hunting on Sunday — sounds old-fashioned, right? It may surprise you, but 11 states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia) still have sunday-hunting prohibitions that date back to “blue laws” enacted in the 1700s. But now there is a strong effort to change that in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Hunters and shooters — along with the firearms and ammunition industry — are among the leading financial contributors to conservation in America, paying for programs that benefit our nation and all its wildlife. Saturday, Sept. 24, is 
