Each year, Shooting Industry Magazine recognizes the innovative elite, who set new standards of excellence through product design and service to the industry. 2008 marks the 17th year of the “Academy of Excellence” awards by Shooting Industry Magazine, and the NASGW is proud to announce the following association members who were honored:

Winners:

Crimson Trace won
High-Tech Product of the Year
for its Model LG-660 lasergrips

Hornady won
Ammunition of the Year for its
Ruger Compact Magnum Cartridge (RCM)

Ruger won Handgun of the Year
for its LCP .380

Winchester won Rifle of the Year
for its Model 70 Reintroduction

Blackhawk won
Safety Product of the Year
for its Hawkhook Rescue Tool

The 2008 Citizenship Award
went to Brownells

Ellett Brothers was named
2008 Distributor of the Year
for the third consecutive time

Ruger was named
2008 Manufacturer of the Year

The 2008 Shooting Industry Award went to
Bob Hodgdon of Hodgdon Powder Company 

And Congratulations to the Following
NASGW Members Who Were Nominated:
Brownell’s Manufacturing for its Professional Magna Tip Tool Set in the Accessory of the Year category. Birchwood Casey for its Dirty Bird Multi-Color Splattering Target in the Specialty Product of the Year category. Leupold for its MX Modular Flashlight System in the Specialty Product of the Year category, and its RX-IV Boone & Crockett Edition Digital Rangefinder in the High Tech Product of the Year category. Hodgdon Powder Company for its Reloading data Center Web-Site in the High Tech Product of the Year category. Trijicon for its 3-9x40 AccuPoint Crosshair Series Riflescope, with self-illuminated amber dot in the Optic of the Year category. Winchester Ammunition for its E-tip lead-free bullet in the Ammunition of the Year category. Smith & Wesson for its Model 327 Night Guard Revolver. 357 Mag in the Handgun of the Year category, and its Alite Silver Over / Under Shotgun in the Shotgun of the Year category.  Taurus International for The Judge .45 Colt / .410 Magnum in the Handgun of the Year category. Remington Arms for its Model 870 SPS ShurShot Synthetic Turkey in the Shotgun of the Year category. Ellett Brothers and Hodgdon Powder Company for their Citizenship Award nominations, AcuSport and RSR for their Distributor of the Year Award nominations, Blackhawk and Smith & Wesson for their Manufacturer of the Year Award nominations and NASGW Vice Chairman; F. Hewitt Grant of Ellett Brothers and Tom Taylor of Smith & Wesson for their Shooting Industry Award nominations.

Second Amendment Enforcement Act Introduced
The 'Second Amendment Enforcement Act' (H.R. 6691) would enforce the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, by repealing the District's recently enacted unconstitutional restrictions on its residents' right to keep and bear arms. The bill would:

1. Repeal the D.C. Ban on Semiautomatic Pistols
In Heller, the Court held that "Handguns are the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defense in the home, and a complete prohibition of their use is invalid". Semiautomatic pistols are the most commonly owned handguns in the United States (75 percent of the handguns sold in the past 20 years are semiautomatics), and are therefore "the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defense in the home". A newly-enacted D.C. ordinance continues the 30-year old ban on semi-auto pistols.

2. Restore Right of Self-Defense in the Home
In Heller, the Court held that "the requirement that any lawful firearm in the home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and is therefore unconstitutional." The D.C. ordinance provides that trigger locks may only be removed and firearms made operable if there is an "immediate" threat of danger. Once a threat is "immediate,” however, there is no time to remove a trigger lock or assemble a firearm. This clearly violates the Heller decision.  This bill repeals D.C.'s requirement that firearms be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock in the home. 

3. Repeal Registration Requirement
The D.C. ordinance maintains a burdensome registration process for handguns and ammunition, requiring multiple visits to police headquarters, ballistics tests, a written test on D.C. gun laws, fingerprints and limited registration to one handgun per 90 days. This bill repeals the current D.C. registration system, which is unduly burdensome and serves as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions. 

4. Allow D.C. Residents to Purchase Handguns
Federal law prohibits the purchase of a handgun outside of a person's home state of residence. There are currently no firearms dealers in the District of Columbia, nor are there likely to be in the near future. Therefore, D.C. residents are allowed under the Heller decision to possess handguns, but are prohibited by federal law from purchasing handguns. This bill creates an exemption to the federal ban on interstate handgun sales by allowing D.C. residents to purchase handguns in Virginia and Maryland.

UMAREX USA Building New U.S. Facility
UMAREX USA has broken ground on a new 100,000-square-foot facility at Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Within the building, a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing operation is planned for the newly created entity, Walther Industries, Inc.

The UMAREX Group is a diversified German-owned holding company which owns Walther GmbH. Walther firearms are presently marketed in the U.S. exclusively by Smith & Wesson, who will be responsible for the sales, marketing and production of certain models.

The newly formed Walther Industries will manufacture a variety of products, including airguns and firearms, primarily for UMAREX USA, but it will also produce OEM products for other companies. A work force between 60 and 120 persons is planned for the operation.  The company’s sales force includes over 80 representatives in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

In Germany, Walther GmbH manufactures airguns, paintball products, airsoft guns, blank-firing guns, self-defense items, firearms and laser-based measurement and leveling instruments.

UMAREX USA recently entered the smallbore firearms market with its introduction of the Hämmerli Sport 22SA, a .22 rimfire rifle. The firm’s airguns are marketed under such brand names as, RWS, Walther, Hämmerli, Beretta, Smith & Wesson, Browning, Heckler & Koch, Ruger, Desert Eagle, RAM and Colt.

Sturm, Ruger Shipping Retrofitted SR9’s
Retrofitted SR9 pistols (which had been recalled due to an ability to sometimes fire when dropped) have begun shipping from Sturm, Ruger. Several parts have been changed in the new design, including:

The Trigger Assembly – Several parts in the trigger assembly were changed with the most notable being the trigger itself. The original trigger lever was comprised of an inner and outer ‘Shoe,’ with the inner shoe being not visible.  The new design has a visible inner trigger similar in shape to that of Glock handguns. The redesign reduces trigger over-travel and when the inner trigger blade is depressed, the length-of-pull is reduced. 

Magazine Latches – The magazine latches have been redesigned to allow compatibility with any SR9 magazine variation.

Magazine Disconnect & Magazine Disconnect Spring, Striker Block & Striker Block Spring – these parts have been replaced with different units.

NASGW Expo Announces Guest Speaker Llewellyn King
For  50 years, Llewellyn King has captivated readers, viewers and listeners with the originality of his views and the conversational tone with which he delivers them in print, on radio and television, and on the dais. King currently hosts a syndicated weekly TV show called White House Chronicle, where he covers topics including energy, the media, Washington and foreign affairs, science and technology and personal growth.

King will be the NASGW’s guest speaker at its opening breakfast on Wednesday, November 5. King began his career in journalism at the age of 16 – writing for Time Magazine in Africa where he was raised. You won’t want to miss King’s unique perspective at the industry breakfast!

Blue Dot powder should not be used with any loadings in the .41 Magnum cartridge.

Use of Blue Dot powder in either of the above mentioned applications could result in a dangerously high-pressure situation, the company announced.

Duck Numbers Decline
There will be fewer ducks for waterfowlers this season—U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services reports that the preliminary estimate of total ducks from the 2008 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey was just over 37 million, which is a nine percent decline from last year's estimate, but still 11 percent greater than the 1955-2007 average. In the U.S. and Canadian prairies, population estimates of many species declined, while populations increased in the boreal forest to the north, likely reflecting in part those birds that over flew the prairies because of drier habitat conditions. The Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind in the world, samples two million square miles and estimates the number of ducks on the continent's most important nesting grounds.

Anheuser-Busch Sale Cause for Concern
The recent sale of the Anheuser-Busch (A-B) Companies to Belgian conglomerate InBev has potential implications for the hunting and shooting sports industries. Budweiser and the other A-B brands have been major advertisers on televised hunting and shooting sporting events — $218 million per year—and also major sponsors of outdoor sporting and conservation organizations, such as the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and the American Trap Shooting Association.  While it is not known at this time what InBev’s future marketing approach will be, an adverse sponsorship decision could have a major impact on the industry’s ongoing promotional efforts.

NY Gov Signs Young Hunter Bill
New York Governor David A. Paterson has signed legislation that creates a special "Junior Hunter" mentoring program which will allow youths 14-15 to hunt big game with a firearm while accompanied and supervised by an experienced adult hunter. The bill also creates a trapper mentoring program that allows youngsters to accompany and assist a licensed trapper who is at least 18 and has at least three years of trapping experience. Prior to the bill’s signing, New York was the only state in the country where a 14-year-old could not hunt big game with a firearm.

Louisiana Liberalizes Crossbow Regs
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has signed a bill allowing the general use of crossbows for hunting purposes. The bill, signed June 5, allows the state wildlife commission to establish a deer-hunting season during which all hunters could use bows, arrows and crossbows.  Formerly, only those hunters who were 60 or older, or who qualified for a handicap permit, could hunt with crossbows.

Winchester Ammo has Record Second Quarter
Olin Corporation’s (NYSE: OLN) Winchester Ammunition Division’s second quarter pretax earnings of $9.5 million represent a record second quarter for the business. Winchester's results reflect the combination of improved volumes and pricing. Winchester second quarter 2008 sales were $116.1 million, compared with $99.8 million in the second quarter of 2007. The combination of higher selling prices and higher sales volumes were responsible for the increase.

Remington Wins U.S. Army Rifle Contract
A $12 million contract from the U.S. Army-TACOM (Tank-Automotive and Armament Command) for the M24 Sniper Weapon Systems has been awarded to Remington Arms Company.

2008 marks the twentieth anniversary that the U.S. Army and Air Force have used the M24 rifle and its variants. The rifle system is based on the Model 700 bolt-action platform.

SAAMI Elects Officers
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI), the association of the leading manufacturers of firearms, ammunition and components, elected new officers at its recent annual meeting. Jeff Reh, Vice President and General Counsel of Beretta USA, was elected Chairman of the Board and ATK President Mark DeYoung was elected Vice Chairman. Three officers of the NSSF were elected to positions of leadership: Steve Sanetti, NSSF President and CEO, was elected SAAMI President; Nancy Coburn, NSSF Vice President and CFO, was elected SAAMI Treasurer; and Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel, was elected SAAMI Secretary.

Green Named Head of SHOT Show Safety
Ken Green has been appointed chairman of the SHOT Show Safety Advisors Committee, the group responsible for ensuring the safe condition of all firearms displayed at the show. He succeeds retiring longtime chairman, Paul Eschrich. Green, who is director of technical affairs for the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, has been a member of the SHOT Show safety committee since 1994 when he first joined SAAMI.

Howard Levine Passes
This summer the shooting industry lost one of its great sales managers, Howard Levine. Levine worked at Silencio for 20 years and then with Peltor for an additional five years. A strong advocate for his customers and representatives, Levine drove the entire country in order to conduct business face-to-face. Levine passed recently at age 83.

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