To: ALL MEDIA For immediate release February 25, 2013For more information contact: Bill Brassard Jr. 203-426-1320   NSSF Postpones Shooting Sports Summit   NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation's Shooting Sports Summit, set for June 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., has been postponed to June 9-11, 2014. "We have postponed the Shooting Sports Summit so we can fully focus our resources on the legislative and regulatory challenges our industry is facing," said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior president and chief marketing officer. "We remain committed to working with our Task Force 20/20 partner organizations to increase hunting and recreational shooting participation by 20 percent by the end of 2014." Formed in 2008, Task Force 20/20 Steering Committee consists of key individuals from 15 organizations representing the industry to assist with reaching the stated goal. The top initiatives that surfaced from Task Force 20/20 were to develop programs and efforts to serve as models for many motivated groups to use and to lower costs for implementation. Existing and effective programs were enhanced to reach the most people possible and are referred to as "Models of Success" programs. "NSSF will provide an interim report on the progress of Task Force 20/20 Models of Success projects later this year," said Melissa Schilling, NSSF director of recruitment and retention. Projects designed to increase hunting and recreational shooting participation that are gaining traction can be found in Florida, Texas, Michigan, Alabama and several other states. "We are currently reviewing and selecting new Models of Success programs now to maintain the momentum of our outreach efforts," said Schilling.

Firearms Owners, Industry Not the "Bad Guys," Says NSSF President Steve Sanetti in PBS Frontline Interview NEWTOWN, Conn. -- In an extended interview with the PBS Frontline program, Steve Sanetti, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, emphatically says that the nation's firearms owners and firearms industry are not responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms and, consequently, should not be subjected to the severe restrictions being considered by Congress and many state legislatures. "[Firearms owners] are not the bad guys. The industry isn't the bad guys," said Sanetti in the interview. "Insofar as we can help the situation we want to be able to help. But that doesn't mean piling meaningless restrictions and onerous conditions upon people who want to exercise their rights and just enjoy what they do peacefully." PBS has devoted unprecedented airtime this week across all of its news programming platforms to coverage of violence in American society. NSSF agreed to do the interview in order to provide the firearms industry's perspective on contentious gun and legislative issues. NSSF is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry and has more than 8,000 members. The following quotes by Sanetti are taken from the wide-ranging interview: On restricting magazine capacity: "Millions and millions of law-abiding Americans use semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines of varying capacities, and millions and millions of them every day don't do a thing wrong. And so we feel that it's not the correct approach and do not support magazine limitation." On selling guns and providing safety literature: ". . . people look at a trade association like ours and assume that the only thing we're interested in is selling guns. Not true. We want our products to be used safely and responsibly. Because let's face it, we're the ones who get blamed if products are used unsafely or irresponsibly." On Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) saying AR-style rifles are designed to kill people: "With all due respect he could not be more wrong . . . . You have millions and millions . . . of Americans who pass a background check, who buy these guns and have millions and millions of magazines . . . . [Yet] the crime rate has been going down. If you tell these people . . . who use these guns for legitimate purposes . . . ‘You're nothing but a murderer, because that's the only reason why anyone would own guns is to kill people.' How are you going to get these people to cooperate [on solutions to violence]?" On violence and guns: "Let's take Connecticut. In Connecticut there are exactly two homicides committed with a rifle of any kind in the last seven years. There were 40 deaths annually from knives, 320 deaths annually from clubs and 20 deaths annually from hands and feet. So it's not just firearms.Yes, firearms can be misused, but other things can be misused too. So the focus I think should be on violence." Who or what is to blame for what happened in Newtown? "I think primarily the firearms owner in this instance was not exercising that degree of personal responsibility . . . she should have done. She knew she had an at-risk individual in her home . . . . She knew he needed help. She knew he was mentally troubled. She had firearms in the house that she purchased legally. She had gone through all the background check required in Connecticut, the guns were registered to her, nothing was done improperly or illegally. But where I think she really caused this incident was by not adequately storing these guns securely away from her son who she knew to have these problems. Had she done that this incident would not have occurred and you wouldn't see this big cry over, let's have more gun control." On hasty lawmaking: ". . . people react emotionally. And I think people make bad decisions when they are angry, when they are fearful and when they act in haste. And I think that this situation had the making of all three." On restrictions on, and increased sales of, firearms: "We want people to own firearms for the right reasons because they understand, respect them, enjoy them, and will use them safely, properly, and responsibly. So the idea of a mad rush for everybody to buy a firearm I don't think is necessarily the best trend in the world but it's a fact of life because, as I say, we're Americans, and if you say we can't have something, people want it." Frontline has posted its complete interview with Steve Sanetti in written Q&A format. The broadcast segments are nowonline as well. To stay abreast of federal and state legislation that could potentially restrict ownership and use of semiautomatic firearms and ammunition and also to write your legislators, visit the NSSF Legislative Action Center here. Bill Brassard Jr.203-426-1320

Hilham, TN --(Ammoland.com)- This letter, from a Saratoga County, New York, Deputy Sheriff speaks of honor, commitment, and respecting any Oath you take. It was sent to Glenn Maine, one of our State leaders. It is placed here with the author’s permission. What would you say to your children about how to live? I think Deputy David Jones said some important things to his children. - Glen, I am not one who seeks or intentionally brings attention to myself. I am one who participates, but does so from the rear of the crowd. My articulation skills are lacking, and in a crowd, I will often pronounce a word with error or stutter through a phrase. I have known the Sheriff of Fulton County for some time now. I call Tom Lorey a friend. I understand and agree with his philosophy and I’m motivated by his passion. I, if allowed, would like to stand next to Sheriff Lorey and do whatever I can to assist in the completion of this mission. I will stand in the shadows no more. I am an Army veteran and have been a police officer for nearly 24 years. I have taken all my oaths freely and accepted the responsibility of an oath as a promise to those that I serve. In today’s society, it seems that an oath is now nothing more than a ceremony of useless words and phrases which no longer are binding to those who have repeated them. Our Government was formed as a representative government for the people and by the people. Our elected representatives should mirror the beliefs and morality of the people they served. If a representative wanders from those beliefs, they feared the vote of the people. Now it seems the government no longer fears the people. Our government has become a government by the government and for the government. Special interest, and money, bribes if you will, tell many of representatives how they will vote and the will of the people are ignored. Elected politicians and appointed government figures have been knowingly and intentionally violating law whenever it suits them to push a political agenda. Never let a good crisis go to waste, even when they are told by a majority of the people they represent that their agenda is not wanted. Yet, they will call one of our citizens, who have committed no crime on Tuesday, who is compliance with the laws and openly accepts personal responsibility, a criminal on Wednesday for being in compliance with Tuesday’s law, only because someone rewrote the definition of a term. Now that the executive branch of our federal government has made the Congress powerless through Executive Order and they believe that there is no need for any type of a spending plan to exist, is there any possible way to hold these politicians accountable since those in Congress appear to be in no hurry or have little to provide except wonderful sounding press releases that never have an action attached to them. I have been thinking about this for some time and from my recent experiences I believe that I must start with our young citizens. Recently I attended a function at the local High School. My daughter was being inducted into the National Honor Society. The auditorium was full of families and school officials. At the beginning of the ceremony everyone was asked to stand for the National Anthem. I stood, clicked my heels and placed my hand over my heart. I was in horror to see the number of adults who stood but considered it a hassle and did nothing else. I looked up and onto the stage and saw my daughter standing with her hand over her heart and smiling while looking at our Nation’s flag. While some students also had their hand over their heart, I was amazed by the number of students who were standing, but talking to the student next to them, chewing gum or fidgeting around. The High School Principal, who is the leader of the school and the primary role model for these students, was standing front and center of the stage and had her hands behind her back. For a moment I said to myself, “What is wrong with me, I am the one who is out of touch, doesn’t this matter anymore and what has happened to our children?” If I had acted the way some of these young adults were acting when I was their age, I would have been punished by my parents for embarrassing them in public. Citizenship is no longer taught properly in our homes or our schools if it is taught at all. It has become the responsibility of those who still believe that this is the greatest country in the world and it is because of an old piece of paper written a long time ago that makes it that way, to teach this to our young people. I am dedicating myself at this time to help teach our young people the true meanings of our forefathers; I just don’t know how to accomplish this. Both of my boys as well as I, are Eagle Scouts. I have taught citizenship, national history and flag etiquette to scouts for many years. This is great, except scouting only reaches a small percentage of our male youth. Part of an Eagle Scout ceremony is called the “Challenge”. It is given to a new Eagle Scout by an Eagle Scout and I had the pleasure, honor and responsibility to challenge my sons. I told them that as of this day, they are marked men to everyone who knows them. That minimal effort and turning away from a situation is not acceptable and to never compromise on their personal beliefs and morals. I then led my sons and every Eagle Scout in that room in the Eagle Scout Oath. This Oath as well as many others ends with, “On my sacred honor.” Meaningless words? I think not. My wife and I have tried, and believe we have accomplished, to teach our children their National heritage and what the meaning of our forefather’s written words actually mean. We have taught our children not to lie. We have taught our children not to steal or cheat or associate with those who do. We have taught our children that morality counts and that there is right and wrong as well as good and evil. The saying in our home is, “Do what you know to be right”, when our children leave our home unaccompanied by an adult. We are all hypocrites in one way or another but we have taught and shown our children that after we are gone, we will only be remembered for our character. Our country is changing at a rapid pace; it seems to be out of control. I do not know how much longer my law enforcement career will last, as I will not violate my oaths because some elected or appointed official does not possess the courage, morality, integrity or guts to say “no” to laws and directives that violate the Constitution of the United States of America. I am asking all of you who read these words not to stand at the rear of the crowd anymore. Let’s all stand together at the front of the crowd with Sheriff Tom Lorey.   Respectfully submitted, David P. Jones Deputy Sheriff Saratoga County -   Note from Elias Alias, editor: The letter above, written by Deputy Jones, stands as an individual example of the character and honor held by the Deputies of Saratoga County, New York. That Sheriff’s Department has written its own statement opposing New York’s Redcoat Governor Cuomo’s S.A.F.E. Act, which was hastily rushed through the State legislature and forged into law in a very despicable skirting of normal legislative processes. Please also read the official Sheriff’s Department letter of condemnation: http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2013/02/04/saratoga-county-sheriffs-association-stands-against-ny-safe-act/ Oath Keepers salutes the whole Sheriff’s Department of Saratoga County, New York for honoring their Oath to the Constitutions of the United States of America and the State of New York. About:Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution. Visit: www.oathkeepers.org Read more at Ammoland.com: http://www.ammoland.com/2013/02/new-york-peace-officer-on-commitment-and-oath/#ixzz2LMKGZAyx

DICK ACT of 1902 . . . CAN'T BE REPEALED (GUN CONTROL FORBIDDEN) The Trump Card Enacted by the Congress Further Asserting the Second Amendment as Untouchable The Dick Act of 1902 also known as the Efficiency of Militia Bill H.R. 11654, of June 28, 1902 invalidates all so-called gun-control laws. It also divides the militia into three distinct and separate entities. The three classes H.R. 11654 provides for are the organized militia, henceforth known as the National Guard of the State, Territory and District of Columbia , the unorganized militia and the regular army. The militia encompasses every able-bodied male between the ages of 18 and 45. All members of the unorganized militia have the absolute personal right and 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms of any type, and as many as they can afford to buy. The Dick Act of 1902 cannot be repealed; to do so would violate bills of attainder and ex post facto laws which would be yet another gross violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The President of the United States has zero authority without violating the Constitution to call the National Guard to serve outside of their State borders. The National Guard Militia can only be required by the National Government for limited purposes specified in the Constitution (to uphold the laws of the Union ; to suppress insurrection and repel invasion). These are the only purposes for which the General Government can call upon the National Guard. Attorney General Wickersham advised President Taft, "the Organized Militia (the National Guard) can not be employed for offensive warfare outside the limits of the United States ." The Honorable William Gordon, in a speech to the House on Thursday, October 4, 1917, proved that the action of President Wilson in ordering the Organized Militia (the National Guard) to fight a war in Europe was so blatantly unconstitutional that he felt Wilson ought to have been impeached. During the war with England an attempt was made by Congress to pass a bill authorizing the president to draft 100,000 men between the ages of 18 and 45 to invade enemy territory, Canada . The bill was defeated in the House by Daniel Webster on the precise point that Congress had no such power over the militia as to authorize it to empower the President to draft them into the regular army and send them out of the country. The fact is that the President has no constitutional right, under any circumstances, to draft men from the militia to fight outside the borders of the USA , and not even beyond the borders of their respective states. Today, we have a constitutional LAW which still stands in waiting for the legislators to obey the Constitution which they swore an oath to uphold. Charles Hughes of the American Bar Association (ABA) made a speech which is contained in the Appendix to Congressional Record, House, September 10, 1917, pages 6836-6840 which states: "The militia, within the meaning of these provisions of the Constitution is distinct from the Army of the United States ." In these pages we also find a statement made by Daniel Webster, "that the great principle of the Constitution on that subject is that the militia is the militia of the States and of the General Government; and thus being the militia of the States, there is no part of the Constitution worded with greater care and with more scrupulous jealousy than that which grants and limits the power of Congress over it." "This limitation upon the power to raise and support armies clearly establishes the intent and purpose of the framers of the Constitution to limit the power to raise and maintain a standing army to voluntary enlistment, because if the unlimited power to draft and conscript was intended to be conferred, it would have been a useless and puerile thing to limit the use of money for that purpose. Conscripted armies can be paid, but they are not required to be, and if it had been intended to confer the extraordinary power to draft the bodies of citizens and send them out of the country in direct conflict with the limitation upon the use of the militia imposed by the same section and article, certainly some restriction or limitation would have been imposed to restrain the unlimited use of such power." The Honorable William Gordon

Organizer postpones big Pennsylvania gun show Yamiche Alcindor, @Yamiche, USA TODAY10:45p.m. EST January 24, 2013   (STORY HIGHLIGHTS) Reed Exhibitions plans to reschedule the event Glendale, Calif., may ban guns and gun shows on city property The region where the show was supposed to be will lose about $80 million in revenue A decision Thursday to postpone a large Pennsylvania gun show has sparked debate about whether such events are coming under fire in the wake of last month's Newtown, Conn., shooting massacre. Reed Exhibitions announced it was postponing the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pa., which had been scheduled for Feb. 2 to Feb. 10. The change came after Reed banned assault rifles at the show, prompting several exhibitors to boycott. "In the current climate, we felt that the presence of modern sporting rifles would distract from the theme of hunting and fishing, disrupting the broader experience of our guests," the company said in a statement. Reed Exhibitions plans to reschedule "as the national debate clarifies." The Pennsylvania postponement comes as Glendale, Calif., lawmakers consider passing an ordinance banning guns and gun shows on city property. Those efforts and others, made in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings that killed 26 people, may signify changing attitudes toward gun shows and gun possession, according to Tom Lorenz, a Glendale city spokesman. "Some City Council members and the police chief see it as a symbolic message that gun violence is not tolerated in our community," Lorenz said. Legislators recently asked the city attorney to draft the new gun law. The attorney now has four to six weeks to write an ordinance that would make it a misdemeanor to have or sell a gun on city property. Gun advocates argue that gun shows and gun rights will remain stronger than ever because of push-back by citizens eager to protect the second amendment. Other cities are talking about taking similar steps while some gun shows have postponed their events, Lorenz said. The region where the Pennsylvania show was supposed to take place will lose about $80 million in revenue, said Rick Dunlap, a spokesman for Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau. "This economic loss is collateral damage from a national debate," said Dunlap adding that local businesses rely on the show for first quarter earnings. Gun rights advocates argue that the president, congressional leaders, and gun control supporters are unfairly using the Newtown shooting to pressure organizations and the public into restricting guns. "An attack on one firearm is an attack on all," said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, a non-profit legal defense organization based in Bellevue, Wash. "They are trying to pit one gun owner against another gun owner." Gene Hoffman, chairman of the Calguns Foundation, another gun advocacy group, said banning one of the most popular selling rifles in the world doesn't make sense. He and Gottlieb said they doubt future organizers will make attempts similar to Pennsylvania to curtail gun shows. "This is a strong warning to anyone throwing a gun show in America," Hoffman said. "You don't get to police what is legal and otherwise protected by the Constitution." ADVERTISEMENT ABOUT THE AUTHOR YAMICHE ALCINDOR Yamiche Alcindor, a breaking news reporter, splits her time covering quickly developing incidents and stories about the social issues affecting the USA. She's also a proud Miami Heat fan.  Send Yamiche Alcindor a Message        

NSSF Statement on the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show January 24, 2013 By nssfnews   We have just learned that Reed Exhibitions has decided to postpone the 2013 Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. In the days following Reed Exhibitions’ announcement that modern sporting rifles would be prohibited from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, the leadership of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has been in intense, frank discussions with Reed Exhibitions management in an effort to reverse this unacceptable decision. These discussions reached an impasse. NSSF is in no way affiliated with, nor does it participate in or exhibit at this show in any way. Reed Exhibitions does, however, manage the NSSF-owned SHOT Show (though Reed manages the SHOT Show, all SHOT Show decisions, policies and actions are made at NSSF’s direction). Because of Reed’s recent actions, NSSF is considering all options regarding the management of future SHOT Shows. _________________________________

Bank of America – The Un-American Bank   By Chris Avena, President of SeeMeHunt.com     Is Bank of America The Un-American Bank? Only a few short months ago Bank of America severed their business relationship with McMillan Firearms because they were a gun manufacturer. As much as Bank of America portrayed their statements as just a misunderstanding, their sincerity was just a little hard to swallow. When a financial institution takes a political position about a particular industry, they walk a very dangerous line.   Should a financial institution be able to decide that they do not want to do business with a legal and federally regulated business because they do not agree with their industry? Should they be able to freeze your account without provocation? Should they be able to act on their own accord while putting their client’s financial interests in jeopardy? That is exactly what Bank of America has done.   According to Joe Sirochman the President of American Spirit Arms, he was told by a Manager at Bank of America     “WE BELIEVE YOU SHOULD NOT BE SELLING GUNS and GUN PARTS ON THE INTERNET “   With the recent surge in recent firearm sales, American Spirit Arms e-commerce sales have increased by 500%. Naturally, they have had much larger than normal bank deposits at Bank of America. You would think that a financial institution would value a client whose business is growing. Instead, Bank of America decided to hold the deposits for “Further Review”. They did not clear those payments or make the money available to American Spirit Arms. Their account was frozen in a state of flux or as Bank of America stated –   “They were keeping the account Under Review”.   While they were holding those payments under review, American Spirit Arms was fulfilling their obligation by shipping product to their customers that they rightfully paid for. When a financial institution’s political beliefs inhibits their customer’s ability to operate their business, that institution has just crossed the line. Where does the legal obligation to their customers end?   As a firearms manufacturer, American Spirit Arms holds a FFL (Federal Firearms License). They are bound to abide by ALL of the State and Federal rules and regulations. They are audited regularly by ATF (Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms) and Homeland Security.   Bank of America Also has State and Federal Rules and Regulations that they Must abide by and they are regulated by the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission).   By acting as Bank of America has, they may have broken several SEC Regulations. A financial Institution has a fiduciary duty to act in their clients best interests. Bank of America’s actions shows a complete disregard for their clients well being and in doing so, put their financial future at risk.   If a gun manufacturer was not working within their legal guidelines, ATF and Homeland Security would shut them down. What will it take for the SEC to do their job as a Federal Regulator to make sure that Bank of America lives up to their Obligation.        

I know that Many - Including myself are in disbelief of the senseless shooting of those innocent children yesterday. I cringe at the thought that - what if it was my kid. It is a terrible thing and as a parent - my heart goes out to the parents who lost a child at the hand of this misguided individual.With that said- I know that once again gun laws are thrust into the spot light and what it really comes down to is Criminals & Psycho's do not obtain a gun through legal  means.  Our Right to Bare Arms is not an amendment to insure that we can go hunting. It is an amendment that is there to give us the ability to protect ourselves from our enemies - Both Foreign & Domestic. It gives us the basic right to protect our freedoms. Our Freedom of speech, Freedom of Religion, free to own properties & Live Our Way of Life. People Just Do Not Get It!Maybe it should be mandatory that we read the Bill of Rights Once in a while - To remember why hundreds of thousands of Americans fought & Died to Protect our way of life. To protect the right to have an opinion. Weather you agree or disagree, THAT is Our Right."Because a well-regulated militia is necessary to national security, the right of the people to keep and bear arms may not be infringed". With all of the Terrorism in the world today - Our Right To Bare Arms is more important today than it has Ever Been in Our Great Countries History.We can turn a blind eye to what is going on in the world around us and say - "No, that could never happen here"Well It Has Happened Here. It happened on September 11th, 2001 and it can happen again.Let keep our eyes on the real issue at hand. A mentally ill person took the lives of countless innocent people yesterday. My prayers and condolences go out to the family and friends of all who have been touched by this situation

Live rehearsal with conceal carry by Mia Anstine I was just at my local gun store and the clerk said their gun sales have been at a record high. He said that conceal carry are at the top of the customer's wanted list. I hope carry & self defense courses are at a high as well. It got me to thinking of an [...] Read more of this post

Don’t be afraid – Be educated (Kids and Firearm Safety) by Mia Anstine I feel all families should teach their children about firearms. Whether you intend to own one or not! What if your child comes across a firearm or visits another friend's home where there are firearms. Will you child know what to do? Firearm safety is a very important thing in our lives. It has been [...]