It was a stressful day at work.  ATF showed up unannounced for a compliance inspection.  Depending upon the size of your retail store, warehouse, or manufacturing facility, you may have had one to thirty IOIs (Industry Operations Investigator – the personnel tasked to perform inspections designed to carry out the federal government’s regulatory responsibilities pertaining to the firearms and explosives industries) show up at your front door.  Under ideal circumstances, your company has an established and reliable compliance program in effect which includes regular self-audits and you only have slightly elevated stress levels.  If you are like the majority of FFLs, your company’s compliance program is less effective than it can be (or nonexistent) and you are dealing with highly elevated levels of stress.

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW), the association representing shooting sports wholesalers, manufacturers, and their trade partners, announced the winners of their annual Appreciation and Caliber Awards last night at the NASGW Expo Appreciation Dinner.

The Government Relations Team of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, 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 2nd 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. They are pleased to provide a monthly summary of legislation that directly affects and impacts the business of NASGW members.

“In order to take things to the next level, you need to become really uncomfortable where you are.”

I wrote that down recently in a journal I keep. Unfortunately, I didn’t write down where I saw or heard it. But that’s something I often do, jot down short notes that strike me as meaningful to my life and work.

I thought this statement was exceptionally relevant right now, because If this is true, then the shooting sports business should be in for a very nice “level up” in the near future.

As I’m sure you can imagine, in my role leading the NASGW, I have the privilege of speaking to people from across the industry on a regular basis. And every year as the Expo draws near, the frequency of those conversations is much more active.