Chairman's Message: Direction

I hope you all had a wonderful “4^th of July”! I’m using quotation marks to emphasize what I hear most people say these days. But how often do you hear anyone say “Happy Independence Day”? How many people remember celebrating the day of our independence from the British rule of law? Because of this the name is important, for it reminds us we are a nation of independent people. When the day becomes just a number, the holiday is nothing more than a big picnic and party day. I’m amazed how many of my patriotic friends fail to greet others with Happy Independence Day! Independence is such an important characteristic that it needs to recognized and encouraged by leaders of business, family and sports.

Great business leaders recognize independence and courage in their employees and allow them the independence to make important decisions without excessive scrutiny. 

FEATURED ARTICLES

Zoom Meeting Invite: Massachusetts Democrats Want to Close Down Retailers

Data isn’t the only thing that matters in business. Relationships between co-workers and customers are key, as are the often-overlooked ties between retailers and distributors. Distributors have insights and connections individual retailers don’t. Asking can make all the difference.

Michele Salerno, Director of Marketing Asst. VP at Celerant, says that “Dealers tend to have limited visibility into what is selling (or not) at other gun shops across the country. Having access to this data helps them make better buying decisions, which can also be based on their region, as that can be a factor as well. Using industry-wide data to guide buying decisions can only help dealers be more competitive.” This data is available through NASGW’s SCOPE. While SCOPE has long focused on distributor data, SCOPE CLX now offers retailer data. Celerant collects retailer sales data from participating dealers through their software and anonymously passes it on to SCOPE. This information is then aggregated.

Don’t miss the opportunity to win a Caliber Award at this year's NASGW Expo! Compete for the best new product in your category, judged by an independent panel of wholesalers and media members who stay on top of product trends and innovations year in and year out. This is the most objective process in the industry, and finalists and winners are the best of the best. To enter for a chance to win, submit your product(s) to the New Product Showcase by August 1st to be eligible. Members are eligible to submit multiple products into different categories, so there is no need to just pick one new product! 

Midway through 2023, the U.S. firearms industry finds itself in an unfamiliar position compared to recent history. After dramatic ups and downs over the past decade, things have been relatively “stable” over the past year and a half. The record-breaking demand surge has abated, yet is still above pre-pandemic levels in most cases.

Legal challenges at the federal and — especially — state level remain, impacting consumer behavior.Nevertheless, the U.S. firearms industry finds itself in a position of strength today. It has weathered the market volatility of the past few years and continues to welcome first-time firearms owners daily.

Q2 Report Coming Soon

With the end of June and the 2nd Quarter behind us, our SCOPE team is busy compiling the final numbers and prepping for the SCOPE Q2 Report. Keep an eye on your email inboxes for the report later this month. 

Firearms Shipments

Ammunition Shipments

Optics Shipments

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

• Potential UPS Strike on the Horizon
• ATF's 'Zero-Tolerance' Unrelenting and Revealing
• Supply Chain Index Hits New Low
• Massachusetts: Commonwealth Proposes Unprecedented Sweeping Gun Control
• Independence Day Celebrates America's Firearms Heritage
• Private Sector Added 497K Jobs in June

UPCOMING EVENTS

August 1-3, 2023

NSSF Annual Import/Export Conference

Washington D.C.

October 24-27, 2023

NASGW Expo

Columbus, OH

January 23-26, 2024

SHOT Show

Las Vegas, NV

January 30 - February 1, 2024

NAW Executive Summit

Washington D.C.

May 17-19, 2024

NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits

Dallas, TX