In Washington, D.C.,… President Joe Biden’s gun control agenda has remained stalled for the most part. Regardless, he used the fourth anniversary of the Parkland, Fla., tragedy to call on Congress to do more and enact more of his gun control program. Still, 43 different gun control groups and advocates signed on to a letter urging the president to do more and they’re getting increasingly frustrated and deflated by his inaction.

The last two to three years have been a whirlwind, if you haven't noticed. It seems like it's been one challenge after another. From Covid to riots, supply chain issues to staffing shortages, more supply chain issues and major inflation. When will it all end? And just recently, we've been glued to the TV watching the invasion of Ukraine, knowing very well this will lead to some form of disruption, the first impact probably being oil and gas prices.

In the Nation’s Capital, federal legislation impacting hunting and recreational shooting have all mostly stalled as attentions are quickly turning to the federal election midterms, only 10 months away. President Joe Biden learned that after his first year, Americans bought nearly the same number of firearms during the first years of both President Donald Trump and President Barack Obama combined. U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement after the current term finishes. There are also several federal court cases involving the firearm industry to watch, including the Mexican Government bringing suit against U.S.-based firearm manufacturers for the gun violence within their own borders, as well as the NSSF-led challenge to New York’s expansion of their “public nuisance” law to allow anyone to sue firearm manufacturers for the crimes committed by criminals in New York using stolen and trafficked firearms.

Reflecting back on this year’s SHOT Show, I have mixed reviews. For one, the absence of many non-essential people made it much easier to maneuver the aisles on the way to meetings and avoided the 5 minute scramble of someone trying to find the person we were scheduled to see. Coming off two record years for our industry, attitudes were very positive. Our vendor partners are still hesitant to offer any special programs as there are still pockets of strong demand. However, we are starting to see the inevitable slowdown and the accompanying overstocks. Despite our best efforts, it’s impossible to perfectly predict when to shut orders down while still capitalizing on sales opportunities. That’s why vendor communication is critical and a unified voice from NASGW members is needed. So now we press forward and get creative again in our business strategies, something we tend to ignore when demand draws inventory down and customers are eager to prepay to get more.

Ankeny, IA (January 17, 2022) -

Coreware, a leading point of sale platform in the shooting sports industry has partnered with NASGW to expand SCOPE CLX, a retail sales data platform designed to analyze consumer buying trends.

Coreware’s support of SCOPE CLX will help NASGW advance its goal to grow the shooting sports industry by collecting, standardizing and analyzing data. The addition of Coreware will add anonymous sales from over 300 stores, making SCOPE CLX the largest sample of the independent FFL market.

Happy New Year! As we close out 2021, I’m filled with a sense of accomplishment for the goals I’ve fulfilled in my work and personal life, but a little emotional for the events that filled my life with joy and pride. I’m not one to wish away the years, but I think we can all agree that we’ll be relieved to see America grow out of the restraints of COVID and political challenges. We have a pile of work to do before we get back to “normal”, but we are resilient. We’ve survived many attacks on our industry and have continued to grow stronger. We haven’t faced our last hurdle, by any means, but will carry what we’ve learned from the battles we’ve won into 2022 with an increased fervor!

A new year brings about changes at NASGW. After a 2-year term, plus an additional year due to COVID, Laurie Lipsey Aronson is handing her duties as the Chair of the NASGW Board of Directors to Chris Means, President of Tactical Gear Distributors. Chris has spent two years as a member of the Board, helping guide the association through the tumultuous times of the pandemic. He is no stranger to the Shooting Sports Industry, getting his start in 1987 with Outdoor Sports Headquarters, the biggest distributor in the nation at that time.

In Washington, D.C., … In the Nation’s Capital, another big win for the entire firearm and ammunition industry occurred when President Joe Biden’s nominee for Comptroller of the Currency, the nation’s top banking regulator, withdrew her nomination after it was clear she would not win the support of even all U.S. Senate Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee. NSSF strongly opposed Saule Omarova’s nomination and sent a letter to the committee after she refused to rule out another Operation Choke Point. She was opposed by at least five Senate Democrats and her withdrawal is the second high profile failure by the administration following the failure of paid gun control lobbyist David Chipman to be confirmed to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In a legislative victory, the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the U.S. Senate after gun control provisions were stripped.