National Shooting Sports Foundation NSSF

By Matt Manda

The NSSF’s Governor’s forum at SHOT Show 2022 was a smash hit. IMGiStock-658024706
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- A standing-room-only crowd of SHOT Show 2022 attendees and media packed in to hear from six Second Amendment-supporting governors about firearm businesses. Audience members got to hear from the governors about the firearm industry in their respective states and what they’re doing to protect the traditions and future of the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Moderated by NSSF’s Larry Keane, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs and General Counsel, the governors made news, drew laughs and applause, and set the tone for the fight ahead within states and on the federal level for firearm rights.

“This really was a home run and we hope to do this again in future years and have even more governors come and help recruit our industry members to their states,” Keane said.
Heavy Hitters
There was no shortage of star power on stage from the governors participating. Republican Governors Brian Kemp (Ga.), Kristi Noem (S.D.), Pete Ricketts (Neb.), Mark Gordon (Wyo.), Mike Dunleavy (Alaska) and Asa Hutchinson (Ark.) all had plenty to say about their individual efforts as well as working together to backstop and rebuff national gun control pushes.
From South Dakota, Gov. Noem wasted little time when she took over the Governor’s mansion.
“For us, our Second Amendment rights are…the most fundamental rights that we embrace with our full being.”
Gov. Noem explained the business environment in her state and how they are attracting hunters and recreational shooters to come north.
“We have a lot of firearm manufacturers and ammunition businesses in our state,” Gov. Noem said. “In fact this year with the revenue increases we’ve seen, I’ve eliminated all costs to getting your permits. If you need to run a federal background check… we’re going to pay for it. The very first bill I signed years ago as governor was Constitutional carry. That set the priority for my administration.”
Another executive who’s been successful at getting firearm businesses to relocate to his state is Georgia’s, Gov. Kemp. Georgia’s home to at least 74 firearm manufacturers and some major players recently announced facility expansions to accommodate their growth, including Taurus and Remington.
“Like all these other great governors up here, we’re working hard on economic development every day across the whole sector of the industry, and for me personally we’ve approached that in our state for a long time,” Gov. Kemp said. “When you look at these manufacturers and where their facilities are around the state, they’re in communities where they have loyal and some of the biggest customers. It would not be smart to break into a home in any one of these places.”
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts put it plainly why he felt it imperative to attend SHOT Show 2022.
“One of the most important reasons why we’re all here is to show our support for the Second Amendment to our neighbors and communities,” Gov. Ricketts said.
Major Employers, Serious Impact
The list of firearm industry businesses making the call to pull up stakes and move out of states with laws hampering and restricting Second Amendment rights is long and growing. Together, the governors on stage represent a huge footprint and sizeable economic impact of firearm industry businesses and jobs in their states.
According to the most recent industry data, gun manufacturers and related industry businesses employ more than 340,000 Americans nationally with a nearly $63.5 billion impact. Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson is well aware of that fact, having made the trip to SHOT Show every year it’s been held while he’s been in office. For Arkansas, it’s more than 7,000 jobs and $1.6 billion. For Alaska and Gov. Dunleavy, it’s 1,100 jobs and $122 million. For Gov. Gordon in Wyoming, the footprint is 1,400 jobs and $300 million.
Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Arkansas are all in the top ten states for firearm industry job growth per capita while Wyoming, Georgia, and Alaska are the top ten states for growth in economic output.

The strong showing of support wasn’t lost on forum attendees.
“I think it was great, number one, that they [governors] were here to support NSSF; number two that they support the Second Amendment; and number three how they support the industry in their states in general,” said forum attendee John Richardson. “All politics are local… and the governors really reinforce that.”

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

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The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) named champion shooter and safety advocate Julie Golob the winner of its first-ever “Woman of the Gun Award”  IMG Smith & Wesson
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) named champion shooter and safety advocate Julie Golob the winner of its first-ever “Woman of the Gun Award” during the 2022 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The award recognizes Golob’s achievements and contributions to shooting sports, as well as her work to promote the mission and message of NSSF’s Project ChildSafe program.

“Julie is a mom, veteran, hunter, and one of the most decorated handgun shooting champions in the world,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF’s President and CEO. “For more than a decade, she’s also been an invaluable partner to our Project ChildSafe program, giving of her time, her talents and her energy to promote firearm safety education.”
Julie’s career in competitive shooting started when she took top honors in several matches as a junior competitor, leading up to her recruitment by the U.S. Army Shooting Team. Since then, she earned more than 150 major championship titles, including more than 50 world and national titles, over the past 30 years. She is also the first woman in history to win U.S. Practical Shooting Association Championships in all seven handgun divisions.

Golob began working with NSSF’s Project ChildSafe program in 2013, lending her name and expertise to a host of firearm safety education efforts, including guests columns, social media campaigns, public appearances, and videos—including a feature video on how to talk to kids about gun safety.

“I’m a huge advocate of passing on the tradition of safe and fun enjoyment of the shooting sports—they’re an indelible part of our heritage as a nation,” Golob said. “My whole family shares that heritage and all of us can take pride in the results of our collective work to promote gun safety and responsibility.”
NSSF launched Project ChildSafe in 1999 as a nationwide program to promote secure and responsible storage of firearms when they are not in use to help prevent accidents and thefts and help play a part in suicide prevention. In that time Project ChildSafe has been recognized by the National Safety Council and the U.S. Department of Justice, among others, for its effectiveness in educating gun owners. Most importantly, over the past 20 years, fatal firearms accidents have dropped to historic lows.
More information is available at www.projectchildsafe.org.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

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