Chairman's Message: 

Company Culture

I had the opportunity to speak with several friends in the industry over the past couple of weeks and a common reoccurring topic that continues to drive our conversations has almost exclusively been around company culture.  There’s no doubt that many of our organizations have changed over the years, some for the better, and others for the worse.  Change is an inescapable reality, but what we often fail to do is to protect the very values that once drove our past successes.

I’m certainly not an expert on company culture, nor will I pretend that our organizational culture is perfect, but what I will say is that over the past few years our company culture has been critical to many of our recent achievements.  Whether you’re hiring from within or seeking outside talent to fill a roll within your business, time spent to truly get to know your candidate is just as crucial as their business acumen.

FEATURED ARTICLES

NASGW filed an amicus brief supporting the challenge to the ATF "Frame or Receiver" Final Rule that will be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in October.

Simple logic dictates that if A can be “converted” into B, then A is not B. Hence the need for conversion. And what is true generally is equally true of frames and receivers under the plain text of the Gun Control Act (“GCA”). In fact, ATF said so itself for decades, across administrations of different parties. But it has belatedly done an about-face. According to ATF’s new rule, a “partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional frame or receiver,” “including a frame or receiver parts kit, that is designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to function as a frame or receiver,” 27 C.F.R. §478.12(c), is already a “frame or receiver.”

Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to define much of her policy agenda for voters to scrutinize. Much of that is being left to proxies. So far, she has indicated a continued march toward more unconstitutional gun control. She’s yet to actually deny that she would abandon her previous policy agenda of forced confiscation of Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs). The only “denial” that’s been made purports to come from an unnamed campaign staffer. This election, though, will be a referendum on the future of the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is telling voters that Vice President Harris would carry out the radical plan to upend the Supreme Court to end lifetime appointments and turn it into a rubber stamp for The White House. That move could threaten Second Amendment rights and neuter the Judicial Branch in the balance of power set forth by the Founding Fathers that created three co-equal branches that are each a check on the authority of the others.

As we move closer to the 2024 elections be sure to stay up to date on all bills impacting our industry at the state and federal level. 

The NASGW Bill Tracker monitors pending legislation that directly affects the firearms industry, at the Federal and State level. The bills are reflective of the current legislative sessions based on jurisdiction and include defeated, passed and pending bills until the current legislative session ends. Sort bills by their current progress, category, state or region and bill year. Stay informed about current legislation in the works before it impacts your business. 

Click below to view the latest bills of interest. 

For over a decade, a concerted effort to establish individual background checks on the purchase of ammunition has been taking place in particular states. These efforts have ranged from immediate point of sale state run background checks to needing a state identification card to complete a purchase. Due to legal challenges, reluctance of the federal government to allow access to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and/or technological issues, only in the recent past have the majority of these new ammunition check systems been employed.

Ladies and gentlemen, lend me your ears! In part one of this article (“Are We In A De-Evolution?”), we waxed eloquently about the troubles manufacturers cause to retailers with their general business practices and — more specifically — how they position and price products for the entire retail ecosystem. As the saying goes, though, there are always two sides to every coin. So, retailers, it’s your turn to have the spotlight cast upon you.

The 2024 Q2 SCOPE Report is now available. The Overview Report is included in your NASGW membership and can be downloaded by just clicking the button below. The enhanced Detail Report goes deeper and provides an additional level of information for those looking to understand regional distribution and product segmentation. The Detail Report is available at no cost for current SCOPE subscribers, by logging into your SCOPE portal, and available for purchase by NASGW members who are not currently subscribed to SCOPE. The Detail Report will also be included when scheduling a demo with the SCOPE team.

Firearms Shipments

Ammunition Shipments

Optics Shipments

Attention SCOPE subscribers, the SCOPE API is now available and we've recently made some adjustments to the instructions on how the data should be pulled based on your subscription. If you are looking to leverage SCOPE by integrating the data into your business intelligence platform, the SCOPE API can help. To access the API your business must be a current SCOPE subscriber in good standing. To get started click below to follow the instructions to create a SCOPE API account, generate an API key, and enter your parameters. The SCOPE API is the next step in a continued effort to enhance the flexibility and capabilities of the shooting sports industry's top data platform. Click below for instructions on how to access the API with your subscription. 

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

• Preparation and Communication Key to AI Adoption
• 'Woke' Corporate Policies Subsiding
• Regulatory State Is In Flux, and Businesses Are Hating It
• German Government Pushes 'Knife Control' in Wake of Terror Attack
• Consumer Sentiment Up, But Challenges Remain
• Journal of American Medical Association Publishes Flawed Study on Hunting and Gun Violence
• Harris' Threats to the Second Amendment

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 25-27, 2024

NAW Innovators Summit

Austin, TX

October  15-18, 2024

NASGW Expo

Kansas City, MO

October 30, 2024

American Suppressor Association Foundation Banquet

Austin, TX

January 21-24, 2025

SHOT Show

Las Vegas, NV