NSSF: Aiming for Accuracy

Defensive Gun Uses

A story in the Southern Medical Journal attempts to revitalize the widely discredited theory that a gun in the home increases the risk of firearms-related violence to the gun owner. As with all such stories on this topic, readers should bring a healthy dose of skepticism and understand that the statistics provided are drawn only from those studies researchers decide to consult.

SMJ's conclusion is "based on a review of the available scientific data" and barely mentions defensive gun uses (DGUs). Did researchers include the 1.5 to two million DGUs that occur annually in the United States by law-abiding gun owners? We doubt it. Those estimates are derived from several surveys conducted by Professor Gary Kleck, as well as a survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. Most DGUs, such as brandishing a gun to ward off a home invader, are never reported. Realizing this, Dr. Kleck specifically developed his surveys to determine a more accurate estimate of DGUs.

Over the last two decades, accidents and intentional shootings involving firearms have decreased greatly while during the same period firearms ownership in America has increased. Accidental fatalities in the last 20 years have dropped by 42 percent overall, with a 77 percent decrease among youth 14 years old and under, according to the National Safety Council.

Media and the SHOT Show

When it comes to firearms and accessories, there's no better place to soak up knowledge about them than at NSSF's Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. Media that cover these outdoor activities know this and use the SHOT Show as a combination story generator and education hub, which can pay dividends throughout the year and even for an entire career.

Last week, 1,800 members of the media made a point of coming to the SHOT Show in Las Vegas so they could learn about and ogle (sometimes not in that order) the latest gear the industry produces and sells. Having a better grasp of what products are designed for and how they function helps media gain a better understanding for why industry holds certain positions on legislation and regulations. For example, when you see how popular AR-style modern sporting rifles and accessories are, and that there's an AR for nearly every sporting use requiring a rifle, you can see why millions of owners of these modular rifles are concerned about potential legislation that would prohibit ownership of them.

Factual errors that appear about modern sporting rifles and many other gun-related issues in media stories often occur because of reporters' lack of knowledge about guns and gun ownership. The SHOT Show not only affords media an opportunity to see equipment on the show floors but to attend "media day at the range," where reporters can see, handle and test equipment, and then pose their questions about design and specifications directly to manufacturer representatives. Most "outdoor media" who attend SHOT know the value of this media day prior to the show, and we were pleased to see that mainstream media writers made good use of the range day to learn more about firearms in a hands-on way.

With nearly 40 million Americans active participants in hunting and the shooting sports, it's important that all media, not just outdoor media, better understand our sports and the equipment gun owners enjoy owning and using--lawfully and responsibly. There are many new owners out there after a record year for firearms sales. This sales surge, as NSSF President Steve Sanetti put it in his State of the Industry address at SHOT Show, "is a testament to the popularity of firearms ownership in America and proof that hunting and target shooting remain popular activities among all ages." 

The show itself was a big success. In an economy that is still sputtering, the 58,444 trade professionals who attended nearly matched the all-time record set at the 2008 show in Las Vegas. And there were positive signs that the industry would continue to see robust sales in 2010, building on the extraordinary sales of the last 15 months.

See NSSF's Bullet Points, the SHOT Show blog and @NSSFSHOT Show on Twitter for highlights of the show. There's also lots of show-related Tweets at #shotshow. And here's the SHOT Show wrap-up press release.

Why do you love your gun?

That's the question Los Angeles Times reporter Sandy Banks asks on her blog. Although she unfortunately arrives at the question by considering  the actions of basketball's Gilbert Arenas (as if he's the typical firearms owner),  Banks, to her credit, admits to knowing little about firearms and says she's gone to LAPD's firing range to learn more (and while at it discovers she’s a pretty good shot). Now she's asking readers to help her understand why they own firearms.

To her question, posted yesterday afternoon, she's received more than 100 comments, mostly pro-gun. You may want to read some of them and add yours before she writes her Saturday column.

A Math Lesson

When it comes to gun-related crime, it's standard procedure for gun-control groups to toss around numbers without putting them into perspective. The Violence Policy Center tried it recently and got this math lesson from A. Barton Hinkle of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, who calls such tactics "misleading, if not malicious."

Writes Mr. Hinkle,

"Now consider this statistic: Concealed handgun permit holders have killed 107 people since 2007. That news, from the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., sounds pretty bad--until you put it in context. How many Americans have been issued a permit to carry a concealed weapon?"

Using estimates for the number of concealed carry permit holders, Mr. Hinkle writes, "the percentage of concealed-carry permit holders who have killed someone with a firearm comes to two one-thousandths of 1 percent."

Read Mr. Hinkle's full article.

Questions Mount About California's Microstamping Law

First, the state's new law requiring firearms manufacturers to laser engrave identification numbers on a gun's firing pin did not go into effect January 1 because the technology remains encumbered by patents. And now the California Police Chiefs Association raises further questions about microstamping, saying the technology needs more study and is too costly, reversing its original position of support for the legislation.

In a letter sent to state Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, CPCA Acting President Susan E. Manheimer wrote, “There are too many unanswered questions with microstamping in its current iteration” and raised concerns that "statements about the capabilities of microstamping may have been technologically premature."

Several independent, peer-reviewed studies have indicated the technology is flawed and can be easily circumvented using simple household tools. Even wear and tear caused by normal use of a firearm requires owners to replace parts such as firing pins from time to time. For these and other reasons, NSSF opposed the legislation.

Manufacturers have indicated the new law would force them to raise prices of guns significantly, or even abandon the California market rather than go through a costly reconfiguring of manufacturing and assembly processes. Estimated price increases could go as high as $200 per gun. 

Read NSSF's news release on the CPCA letter and the release about why the technology must be certified as patent-free by the California Department of Justice before the law can go into effect.

An Outdoor Columnist Loses His Forum

As newspapers close or cut back on staff, one unfortunate result is the loss of coverage of hunting, shooting and fishing by outdoor writers. With The Washington Times eliminating its sports section last week, longtime outdoor writer Gene Mueller said his farewell in a final column that celebrated nearly 25 years of outdoor pursuits along with the travel and friendship that go hand-in-hand with them.

Gene writes:

Since February 1985, I have been privileged to share with you news and views about fishing, hunting and boating, occasionally giving the devil to the opponents of our time-honored outdoors sports. There can be no doubt that a number of milquetoast "antis" now will rejoice because a spokesman for hunters and anglers has been silenced.

We hope that Gene is not "silenced," which sounds so final, but continues to comment on and promote outdoor activities through other outlets, benefiting what surely is a large, loyal readership.  

If SHOT Show media registrations are any indication (and they are, we're sure), outdoor media is moving to Web-based outlets at a fast pace. There are more Web sites, online magazines and video channels, blogs and forums covering outdoor sports and equipment than ever before.

Millions of hunters, target shooters and gun owners are eager for information from trusted sources like Gene and, with so many new electronic delivery methods available, it's never been easier for outdoor communicators to reach them. You can follow this blog, for instance, through an RSS feed or subscribe to the @NSSFComm Twitter account and receive a link to new posts immediately after they are made. Or find it via NSSF's homepage, www.nssf.org. Outdoor communicators need to keep on telling their stories because, for the most part, it’s the pastimes and products with stories that survive.

Washington, D.C. Homicides Down, Too; Calif. Microstamping Law Takes Effect in New Year

We'd like to draw your attention to two stories in the news today. 

In recent posts, we've talked about how baseless the "more guns equal more crime" argument has always been and particularly in light of FBI statistics showing that while firearms sales were surging in late 2008 and the first half of 2009, violent crime was going down nationally, in all categories, with murders down 10 percent. We noted yesterday that New York City homicides are at an all-time low, down 19 percent. The same is true in Washington, D.C., where, the Washington Times points out today, homicides fell by 25 percent in the district and have reached their lowest level since 1964. 

That's the good news. On the not-so-good-news side, mainly for Californians, is that a microstamping law goes into effect in 2010 that requires handguns sold in the Golden State to have a firing pin capable of imprinting identification numbers on bullet casings. The law was passed despite objections from NSSF and the findings of several independent peer-reviewed studies that showed the technology of microstamping is unreliable. Microstamping can be easily defeated in mere seconds using common household tools, or owners can simply replace the engraved firing pin for an unmarked one, thereby circumventing the technology. Even normal firing, cleaning, and wear and tear over the years can obliterate the microscopic numbers. As NSSF President Steve Sanetti has said, microstamping makes about as much sense as requiring the VIN number of a car to be marked on its tire treads.

As a result, handgun manufacturers may introduce fewer new models of handguns in the state rather than adopt the technology, which would add significant cost to new firearms and reduce manufacturing efficiencies. That means law-abiding Californians will have access to fewer new models, or as as NSSF's Larry Keane, senior vice president and general counsel, noted in the Sacramento Bee, "California will become like Cuba with cars. You will only be able to get very old models of guns."

Even Good News About Homicide Numbers Gets Twisted by Bloomberg Administration

If gun sales outside New York City are such a problem, as stated in a New York Times article today, why is the city's homicide rate the lowest in 46 years?

NSSF has previously commented on the gratifying crime statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the first half of 2009 that show violent crime having declined in all categories, with homicides down by 10 percent. In New York City, the FBI reports homicides are down 19 percent--an all-time low, lower even than when comprehensive statistics first began being kept by the NYPD in 1963.

You would think this would be a cause for universal satisfaction. After all, the first half of 2009 also saw a record number of law-abiding citizens purchasing firearms, bringing the predictable gloom and doom of "more guns equal more crime" from gun control advocates. Clearly, more guns in the right hands do not result in more crime, as the FBI statistics incontrovertibly demonstrate.

That didn't stop some in New York City Mayor Bloomberg's administration from making a sow's ear out of a silk purse, even misrepresenting other statistics in the process.

According to The Times' article, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelley said that 90 percent of the guns that are confiscated after they are used in crimes come from out of state. The most recent report from the Bureau of Alchohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (in 2008) of firearms traces shows that New York State itself was in a virtual dead heat as the largest source state for firearms recovered in New York City, with 362 guns traced.

And in the same article, a "police historian" is quoted to say that the murder rate in New York City can drop even further "if the federal government would shut off the flow of illegal guns from other states to New York." Somone should remind the historian that it has been a federal felony for 41 years to illegally acquire a firearm outside the state and transport it across state lines to anywhere its possession is illegal.

Honest debate about the effectiveness (or lack of it) of gun control laws has to start with facts:

• Gun sales are up, violent crime is down.
• The largest source state of traced guns is usually the state in which the city is located.
• It's already a felony to acquire or transport a gun illegally.

Go after the criminals and leave honest citizens and their guns, who cause no untoward harm to anyone, alone.

Violent Crime Continues Decline (Even While Gun Ownership Increases)

Preliminary statistics released by the FBI for the first half of 2009 show that violent crime continues a downward trend that began in 2006. The figures show crime falling in all categories--robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle thefts, etc.--with murders down a remarkable 10 percent from the previous year.

The FBI statistics undermine a favorite argument of anti-gun groups and some mainstream media that "more guns equal more crime," especially when you consider that the decrease in violent crime from late 2008 through the first half of 2009 occurred at the same time that firearm sales were surging.

The most popular firearms selling at that time were handguns and modern sporting rifles (AR-style rifles)--two types of firearms that anti-gunners never miss an opportunity to demonize. Law-abiding handgun owners have been filling concealed carry classes across the country, and AR-style rifles--long a favorite of target shooters--are growing in popularity among hunters as new calibers are introduced for small and big game.  

People across the country continue to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Consider this story from yesterday's Boston Globe:

The number of gun permits issued in Massachusetts surged by more than 15 percent over the past two years, reversing nearly a decade of steady declines and marking a pronounced departure for a state known for its antigun sentiment.

The rise in gun permits (and, presumably, purchases) in the Bay State is reflected by National Instant Criminal Background Check statistics showing an increase of 25 million background checks from a total of 75 million to 100 million initiated by Type 01 federally licensed firearms retailers between April 5, 2007, and April 4, 2009 . (Background checks are required under federal law for all individuals purchasing either newly manufactured or used firearms from federally licensed retailers. The checks serve as a gauge of sales but do not reflect the actual number of firearms sold.)

Crime is down. Gun ownership--by law-abiding, responsible citizens who pass a mandatory FBI background check at retail--is up.

Don't let anyone get away with telling you that "more guns equal more crime."

Outdoor Media Gearing Up for SHOT Show

More than 1,100 outdoor media professionals have pre-registered so far for next month's Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, where the latest gear for hunters, shooters and outdoor enthusiasts begins its journey from manufacturer to marketplace. The annual show, which brings together the largest gathering of outdoor media in the world, will draw 60,000 industry professionals to do business over four days in Las Vegas.

If you are a working media professional who covers the shooting sports or writes about the equipment and accessories used by hunters and shooters, there is still time to register for a SHOT Show media badge. To receive a badge, you must provide proof that you cover the industry on a regular basis. Read the media registration guidelines at www.shotshow.org.

At the show, which is owned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and is open to  trade professionals only, media representatives join firearms retailers, shooting range operators, law enforcement and others to learn about the latest products. Media also has the opportunity to attend several "media days." These are invitation-only events, but most will allow bonafide media professionals to attend.

At least three events have been planned by exhibitors and their representatives that allow media to handle new products and, in some cases, test them at Las Vegas area shooting facilities.

Here is a profile of three such events, all of which take place on Monday, January 18, the day before the SHOT Show opens.

--Bass Pro presents Media Day at the Range, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Boulder City Pistol & Rifle Club. See www.media-day.com for more information. More than 40 companies are participating.

--2010 New Product Event, 9 a.m. to noon, Desert Sportsman's Rifle & Pistol Club. Kevin Howard, coordinator, khoward@howardcommunications.com. Participating are Browning, Winchester Repeating Arms, Bushnell, Winchester Ammunition, Mossy Oak, Browning Footwear, LaCrosse/Danner Boots, Taurus, Polaris, Birchwood Casey and Crimson Trace.

--2010 Smith & Wesson Shoot Out, 12:30 to 4:30, American Shooters. Tonya Giudice, coordinator, info@blueheroncomm.com. Participating are Smith & Wesson, Thompson Center, Walther, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Coleman, Dallas Safari Club and Trijicon. .

Note: All of the media days are independent of the SHOT Show and are not official SHOT Show events.