NSSF^®, the trade association for the firearm industry, updated retail survey-based estimates and concluded that nearly 5 million Americans purchased a firearm for the very first time in 2020. NSSF surveyed firearm retailers which reported that 40 percent of sales were conducted to purchasers who have never previously owned a firearm.

Last week, the Department of the Interior announced a final rule to increase public access opportunities for sportsmen and women across more than 2.3 million acres, marking the largest opening and expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities on federal refuges and hatcheries in the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

NSSF’s Government Relations Team dedicates its time and resources to supporting legislation beneficial to our industry and fighting those bills that infringe on our rights to legally conduct business and compromise everyone’s Second Amendment rights. Team members attend legislative hearings on the federal, state and local levels year-round across the nation, keeping their finger on the pulse of those issues affecting us.

Though there has been significant good news for our industry, hunters and the shooting sports with the passage and signing of the Great American Outdoors Act, it was, unfortunately, counterbalanced by the long-expected announcement from New York’s Attorney General Letitia James that she’s filed a lawsuit to dismantle the National Rifle Association. Add to that the selection of California Senator Kamala Harris as the running mate to the now official presidential nominee of the Democratic party, Joe Biden, and there’s no doubt the gloves are off. Clearly, the time remaining before November’s national elections is going to be one in which talk of advancing gun-control will take center stage.

I don’t know who coined the phrase, “You’ve got to make hay when the sun shines,” but they were absolutely a genius.

When I was younger, and how shall we say this… not really eager to help out every single day in the field… I didn’t really understand the point of that saying. I mean, I had things to do, you know, like sleeping, partying with friends, and of course more sleeping. So when good ‘ol Dad would trot out the phrase, I would often cover my head with a pillow and pretend it really wasn’t sunny. As you can imagine, that didn’t go over so well. So off to the field I would go.

If you’ve been in business long enough, you know that not all decisions are easy. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact every aspect of our lives, we have all been forced to make difficult decisions. On Monday, the NASGW Board of Directors voted unanimously to cancel this year’s Expo. This was a decision that none of us wanted to make, but it was the right decision. With mounting cases in the state of Texas and increased travel restrictions in numerous states, particularly in the northeast, we could not leave things to chance in hopes that cases would subside or that states would ease restrictions. We’re not blaming Texas. The biggest reason this decision had to be made was for the health and safety of our members, our colleagues, our employees, and the entire shooting sports industry.

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers’ Board of Directors voted unanimously today to cancel the 2020 NASGW Expo that was scheduled for October in Grapevine, Texas.

NSSF’s Government Relations Team dedicates its time and resources to supporting legislation beneficial to our industry and fighting those bills that infringe on our rights to legally conduct business and compromise everyone’s Second Amendment rights. Team members attend legislative hearings on the federal, state and local levels year-round across the nation, keeping their finger on the pulse of those issues affecting us.

Exporting firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition is a complicated process and can seem overwhelming to most companies who do not regularly export goods. However, the rules and processes to export these goods have recently been modified which provides the potential to open up new markets to wholesalers and distributors.

Prior to the recent changes, small arms and ammunition products had been regulated by the State Department for decades. Due to the expensive registration costs and export license fees, most wholesalers and distributors left the sales opportunities in the foreign markets to manufacturers and specialized U.S. exporters.

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW), the association representing shooting sports wholesalers, manufacturers and their trade partners, is pleased to announce that National Shooting Sports Foundation will be sponsoring the NASGW Expo Appreciation Dinner on October 20th in Grapevine, TX.

"The NASGW Annual Appreciation Dinner kicks off our Annual Expo, a crucial meeting for wholesaler buyers and manufacturers to prepare for the upcoming year," said NASGW President, Kenyon Gleason. During this event we also recognize excellence within the shooting sports industry through the NASGW Appreciation Awards and the NASGW-POMA Caliber Awards. This industry event would not be possible without the help and support of our sponsors. NSSF continues to be a great partner and we appreciate their commitment to our organization and the wholesalers, manufacturers, vendors, and media members that make up our membership."

“We’re pleased to once again support our partners at NASGW,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President & CMO. “NSSF appreciates our participating member companies and we remain fully committed to supporting our industry’s two-step distribution business model and the key role that wholesale distributors play in helping manufacturers go to market.”

The NASGW Expo will be held on October 20th through 23rd at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center in Grapevine, Texas. The Expo is the premier event for shooting sports wholesalers and manufacturers to review current market conditions, forecast future sales, and plan for the upcoming year. In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the NASGW Expo will be even more crucial to the industry with the cancelation of other events earlier this year. This will also be the first opportunity for manufacturers to introduce new products to their wholesale partners and lay the groundwork for the upcoming sales cycle and beyond. It is a closed event for NASGW Members only which creates a very productive business environment for Expo attendees. If you would like to learn more about NASGW or the NASGW Expo, please visit www.nasgwexpo.org. 

According to data compiled after each Federal election by the U.S. Census Bureau, millions of registered voters who are private sector employees fail to cast ballots in elections for high public office at all levels of government.  This Census data is consistent election after election.  In the November 2018 election, more than 29 million registered voters did not cast ballots.