Firearms Industry Hails Washington State Supreme Court Decision

Thursday February 18, 2010

Second Amendment is an Incorporated Right

NEWTOWN, Conn -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms industry - hailed today’s ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court holding that the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans are applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment.

"This decision by the Washington State Supreme Court is a welcomed development and victory for the rights of law-abiding firearms owners," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. "America's firearms industry remains optimistic that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in the upcoming McDonald v. City of Chicago case that the Second Amendment is a fundamental individual liberty that all states and local governments must respect."

The NSSF filed an amicus brief in support of the petitioner in McDonald v. City of Chicago, set to be heard by the High Court next month.

###

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case Against Gun Maker

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed Beretta U.S.A. and the firearms industry another victory by rejecting the Brady Center's appeal of Adames v. Beretta U.S.A. Corporation challenging the constitutionality of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).

The PLCAA is the 2005 federal law passed by Congress in response to the flood of reckless lawsuits brought by the Brady Center on behalf of anti-gun mayors seeking to hold members of the firearms industry liable for the criminal or unlawful misuse of their products.

This is now the third time this year the Supreme Court has denied a challenge to the PLCAA backed by the Brady Center. In March 2009, the Brady Center was also involved in the appeals of Lawson v. Beretta and City of New York v. Beretta, both of which the Supreme Court refused to hear. Monday's Supreme Court decision in the Adames case is another stinging setback to the Brady Center's failed anti-gun political agenda to destroy the individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms -- a right the Supreme Court declared last year in Heller was protected by the Second Amendment.

The Adames lawsuit was filed by the Brady Center on behalf of a family seeking to hold Beretta responsible for the tragic shooting death of their son, caused solely by the criminal acts of a teenage boy who gained unauthorized access to his father's unsecured service pistol. The case was originally dismissed by a Chicago trial court, subsequently reinstated in part by the Illinois Court of Appeals, and then ultimately found to be barred under the PLCAA by the Illinois Supreme Court. By its decision yesterday, the Supreme Court found it unnecessary to consider the Illinois Supreme Court's well-reasoned decision that held the PLCAA was both constitutional and clearly applicable to this lawsuit.

Representing Beretta in the case was Craig Livingston of the Livingston Law Firm, who after being notified of the Supreme Court's rejection of the appeal remarked, "And so ends a long legal battle -- from the trial court in Chicago, through the Illinois appellate courts, and all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court -- which served only to confirm what has been known since May 5, 2001, namely that this tragic shooting death was caused not by any defect in a Cook County Corrections Officer's Beretta pistol, but rather by its reckless misuse on that fateful day by his teenage son."

Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, applauded yesterday's Supreme Court rejection of the Brady Center's appeal, stating, "Frivolous and unsupported lawsuits such as Adames that attempt to force manufacturers of firearms to pay for the crimes of others over whom they have no control are precisely what the PLCAA is designed to stop."

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

NSSF Launches new and improved website
Friday, December 11, 2009

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation proudly announces the launch of an improved, redesigned Web site -- the organization's hub for providing timely news and educational materials to industry members and consumers.

The site, www.nssf.org, has undergone its first redesign in five years to improve navigation, maximize multi-media offerings and integrate social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

The new Web site will go live today, Friday, December 11, and NSSF invites regular and new visitors to check it out.

"The Internet is a key messaging and marketing tool in today's world. Our site had been performing extremely well. However, the site was long overdue for a redesign and needed to match our new branding initiative," said Mark Thomas, NSSF's managing director, marketing communications. "I am extremely pleased with how our in-house new media staff took all the input from our research, membership and staff and turned this into a robust site that will better serve our membership for the near future."

Basing its redesign efforts on Web metrics and survey feedback from users, NSSF focused on these key elements . . .

• Coordinating the Web site with NSSF's overall brand look and feel.
• Uniting all NSSF programs under the NSSF umbrella.
• Improving navigation so that most information can be obtained in three clicks or less.
• Allowing for increased multi-media presentations produced in NSSF's new video studio.
• Making it easier to stay connected with NSSF through social media tools and by signing up to receive newsletters, press releases, legislative alerts and blog posts via RSS and e-mail.
• Improving site search functionality.

The site's main categories are Industry, Shooting, Hunting and Safety, where all of NSSF's many programs and services can be found.

An improved Online Newsroom serves as an excellent source of story ideas and background information on firearms issues that media can utilize in their stories.

NSSF reminds visitors that they can accomplish the following on the new Web site . . .

• Become an NSSF member
• Learn about the firearms and ammunition industry
• View and order educational literature and videos
• Order industry research
• Learn about locations where you can go shooting and hunting
• Contact your legislators about important firearms-related bills that affect the industry
• Find jobs in the industry
• Read the latest news affecting the industry

Take a spin on the redesigned NSSF Web site at www.nssf.org.

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Liberty Firearms Association Holds First Carbine Side Match
Saturday, November 21, 2009


At the conclusion of today's scheduled IDPA match, Liberty Firearms Association held it's first carbine side match.  Twelve shooters participated with a wide variety of carbines including ARs decked out with just about every attachment imaginable, an AR with a suppressor, AKs, each one as individual as the person shooting it.  Congratulations go to Adam Kopper for the win, followed by Lester Rhoden and Jimmy Oliver.

Quarterly Firearm and Ammunition Excise Taxes up 52 Percent

Monday, November 2, 2009

NEWTOWN, Conn – According to the most recent Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Collection Report, released by the Department of the Treasury, firearm and ammunition manufacturers report excise tax obligations to be more than $122 million in the second calendar quarter of 2009, up 52 percent over the same time period reported in 2008.

This dramatic increase follows a 43 percent increase in excise tax obligations from the previous quarter (1Q, 2009) and 12 straight months of significant increases in FBI background checks – another strong indicator of firearm sales. Excise tax obligations over the last reported 12 months (July 2008 through June 2009) were more than $419.8 million, an increase of $105.9 million (33.7 percent) over the preceding 12–month period (July 2007 through June 2008). The year’s substantial increases in background checks and federal excise tax obligations began just prior to the 2008 elections and flourished despite a worsening economy.

Manufacturers of firearms and ammunition pay a federal excise tax -- a major source of wildlife conservation funding -- on all firearms and ammunition manufactured (11 percent on long guns and ammunition and 10 percent on handguns).

The report, which covers the time period of April 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009, shows that $33.5 million was due in taxes for pistols and revolvers, $42.3 million for long guns and $46.1 million for ammunition. Compared to the same quarter in 2008, excise tax obligations were up 44.4 percent for handguns, 51.3 percent for long guns and 57.5 percent for ammunition.

Translation to sales:
Using the latest reporting data as an indication of sales, a projection of $1.14 billion was generated in the second quarter (calendar year) of 2009. Please keep in mind that although excise taxes are one of the best indicators of industry performance, they only reflect what excise taxes the manufacturers have filed and do NOT reflect retail mark-up and final retail sales.

 

Pistols and revolvers:		$33,552,785.73 / .10 = $33,552,857.30 = $335.5 million for handguns
Long guns:		$42,373,696.86 / .11 = $385,215,426.00 = $385.2 million for long guns
Ammunition:		$46,157,400.88 / .11 = $419,612,735.27 = $419.6 million for ammunition

Total estimation for the quarter: $1.14 billion

 

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Do you have any MUZZLE FLASH pictures?  We want them!
Sunday, November 22, 2009



Liberty Firearms Association wants your muzzle flash pictures for a new gallery in our photo section.  So dig through your photo files and get them to us!  You can email the file here.

Help Wanted
Friday, September 18, 2009

Assistant Match Director:  Must be an IDPA certified Safety Officer.   Our intention is to have our IDPA matches on the same weekend each month.  Our match directors work schedule causes him to miss matches on occasion.  Someone will need to step up to run the matches in his absence.

 

Membership Coordinator:  We need an energetic person to get out the word on the Liberty Firearms Association.

We are now easier to find and easier to remember!!!

The actual name of our club is the Liberty Firearms Association and that is why we own and use this domain.  We admit that it can be hard to remember and let's face it, all that typing just takes away time from the range.  So starting immediately, you can access the site by going to any of the following:

www.libertyidpa.com

www.libertyidpa.org

www.libertyidpa.us

World's Lightest Shotgun - and She's Coming January 19, 2010
December 7, 2009

Shooters Ridge® Expands 10/22 Product Line

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Click on Image to Enlarge.
Onalaska, WI – Shooters Ridge®, a leader in shooting supports and accessories, expands their line of 10/22® accessories with several items designed for the popular Ruger® 10/22® Long Rifle. Each of these products is currently available to consumers looking to upgrade or customize their 10/22.

One handy package
Based on last year’s response to their 10/22 thumbhole stocks and .920 barrels, Shooters Ridge now combines them into one convenient offering with the new 10/22 Stock & Barrel Combo (MSRP: $242.49 - $377.49). Ergonomically designed to be natural pointers, the Shooters Ridge .920” thumbhole stocks feature:
• synthetic construction for weather proof performance
• steel pillar for repeatable accuracy
• high cheek piece
• soft recoil pad for shooting comfort

Combo Pack stocks are available in either standard black or Wild Web™ patterns. The .920” barrels are offered in stainless steel fluted or blue and feature 1/16” right-hand twist, recessed target crowns with 45 degree break and the ability to achieve MOA ½” groups at 50 yards when using matchgrade ammunition.

More patterns equals more fun
Shooters Ridge also expands their 10/22 stock lineup with four new camo patterns scheduled for release in 2009 (MSRP: $154.49 - $172.49). Shooters can choose between pink and blue Realtree Hardwoods HD®, white Mothwing™ or Digital Woodland Camo. Each stock features the same qualities as the existing line but with distinctive new looks.


Change magazines faster and easier
Whether shooting the factory magazine or a Shooters Ridge high-capacity magazine, the new 10/22 Magazine Release (MSRP: $5.95) allows shooters to quickly and cleanly insert a fresh, loaded magazine for continuous action. Easy to install, this new release tab incorporates a pull action that is easy to operation even when wearing gloves.

For more information on any of these new products, visit www.shootersridge.com.

Beretta Announces America's Defenders Program

Monday, November 10, 2009

ACCOKEEK, MD —Beretta USA is pleased to announce its new America’s Defenders Rebate Program.  Recognizing the importance of supporting and assisting the individual law enforcement or security officer and qualified first responders, the program allows these personnel to purchase a Beretta Px4 Storm and/or 92/90-Two series pistols from participating dealers to receive a $50 rebate per pistol directly from Beretta USA.

“By simply filling out a rebate form and providing a copy of their credentials, these qualified individuals can receive up to $100 back when they purchase two pistols from their dealer“, says Gabriele de Plano, Vice President of Tactical Marketing at Beretta USA.  “The program details and documentation are available to any dealer interested in participating and supporting these fine officers.  The information and forms are also downloadable from our website at www.berettale.com.”

“This program complements Beretta’s Project Allegiance program”, says Ryan Muety, Director of Marketing, “Project Allegiance provides line of duty accidental death benefits for three years at no cost to the law enforcement officer.” This particular benefit is still available to purchasers who buy a law enforcement configuration Px4 Storm pistol by December 31, 2009. Visit www.berettale.com for more information on this unique program.

 

Beretta, established in 1526, is the oldest industrial dynasty in the world tracing its roots through 16 generations of continuous family ownership. Firearms bearing the Beretta name have been sold for almost 500 years.  Beretta USA Corp. was founded in 1977 and supplies the standard sidearm to the U.S. Armed Forces.  Today, Beretta manufactures, distributes and markets a complete line of firearms, accessories and apparel.  Beretta also owns and operates six retail Beretta Gallery stores worldwide. For additional information, visit www.berettausa.com.