NSSF Blog

Welcome to NSSF’s column for firearms range owners, managers, and staff. “Behind the Firing Line” works to accomplish two things. First, it recognizes ranges that have met the stringent requirements necessary to achieve NSSF’s Five-Star rating for excellence. Second, it works to explain how these ranges met specific criteria within the Star-Rating Range Program, so […]

The post Behind the Firing Line: Saddle River Range appeared first on NSSF.

Elections in the United States today have far-reaching consequences. What was once a small ideological divide between the Republican and Democrat parties is increasingly widening with every election cycle as our population, and by extension, our politicians, are becoming more polarized on issues across the economic and social spectrums. When power shifts between parties, businesses […]

The post Elections Have Consequences appeared first on NSSF.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — If you’re a hunter or a target shooter – or both – then this is quite possibly the most wonderful time of the year. Hunting seasons are in full swing, and beautiful fall days are the perfect time for a trip to the shooting range. In its ongoing efforts to better connect […]

The post Two Great Resources for Fall: NSSF’s LetsGoShooting.org and LetsGoHunting.org appeared first on NSSF.

Having an online presence today in retail is almost a necessity for success and, at a minimum, is massively advantageous. The choice to get online can seem to be a no-brainer from a sales revenue perspective, but getting there is also something beyond the comfort zone of many, as few business owners outside the tech […]

The post Choosing an E-commerce Platform appeared first on NSSF.

SAN ANTONIO – More than 200 veterans and their families recently were treated to a free day at the range courtesy of Honored American Veterans Afield, a veterans outreach group comprised of firearms industry businesses, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Veterans were offered the chance to revisit their marksmanship skills in handguns, suppressed modern […]

The post HAVA’s San Antonio Range Day is Big Texas Welcome for Vets appeared first on NSSF.

Understanding the needs of your firing range and how to effectively plan a lead reclamation and maintenance schedule is very important, but those needs and plans will differ between indoor and outdoor ranges. We’ve talked before about reclaiming lead from indoor ranges, so for this column I spoke with Jim Uhlinger, Senior Range Engineer with […]

The post Outdoor Range Lead Reclamation — A Process That Can Pay Dividends appeared first on NSSF.

Editor’s Note: We are pleased to post the latest of our occasional Q&A features with an elected official who supports hunting and the shooting sports. NSSF thanks U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, for agreeing to talk with us. Who introduced you to hunting? My dad […]

The post NSSF Q&A: U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) appeared first on NSSF.

NEWTOWN, Conn – The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industries, released its 2018 Congressional Scorecard in advance of the upcoming midterm elections to assist voters when deciding which incumbent candidates, based on their voting records, are most likely to support their ability to purchase […]

The post Firearms Industry Releases 2018 Midterm Election Scorecard appeared first on NSSF.

“From the Counter” is the NSSF timely industry perspective from firearm retailers across the country. Our goal is to identify and highlight innovative market strategies helping retailers compete more successfully. Lessons learned will be drawn from an array of regions with diverse market economies in an era of political change. This month we focused on […]

The post From the Counter: Cal Customs Guns appeared first on NSSF.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms industry, is pleased to announce that it has awarded its highest Five-Star rating for excellence to Guns N Gear range and indoor shooting range. Located in the thriving metropolitan area of Idaho Falls, Guns N Gear is a 20,000 square-foot […]

The post Idaho’s Guns N Gear Range Earns NSSF Five-Star Rating appeared first on NSSF.

E-commerce is becoming an increasingly big component of our retail economy. In 2016, internet sales accounted for nearly $400 billion dollars in revenue nationwide and represented 8.1 percent of all retail sales. Those numbers continue to grow at significant rates. For many major retailers, being left out of the e-commerce loop means missing out on […]

The post E-Commerce: Shifting Winds and Shifty Partners appeared first on NSSF.

Ever want to know what a politician really thinks about gun ownership? Just listen to what they say when they don’t think you’re listening. We’ve been given a case study this week thanks to Project Veritas. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has claimed to support Second Amendment freedoms, but she cleared up any doubt when […]

The post When Politicians Speak Truthfully on Guns, Believe Them appeared first on NSSF.

Pittsburgh, PENN. — Last night, at the 2018 National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) announced that it has entered into a partnership with the Hunting Heritage Trust to create a first-of-its-kind million-dollar grant program in support of hunting and the shooting sports recruitment efforts. […]

The post NSSF Partners with Hunting Heritage Trust in Major New Grant Program appeared first on NSSF.

Like other technology in your range, such as your security and camera systems, you should regularly examine your ventilation system to ensure it is properly and efficiently functioning. The following provides an overview of this process. Air Flow Speed There are two points to consider when evaluating air flow speed on small arms indoor ranges. […]

The post How to Test Your Range’s Ventilation System for Reliable Results appeared first on NSSF.

Every industry needs salespeople. Whether those sales are institutional, business-to-business, online, factory direct or in a retail environment, each organization in the marketplace has to have employees who create relationships with its customers, manage their experiences and, yes, close the sale. The basics of selling are the same no matter what the product is, but […]

The post Knowledge is Power—But Does it Make Sales? appeared first on NSSF.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms industry, announced today that has arranged to donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross to be used in its Hurricane Florence relief efforts in the Southeastern United States. As it has done in the aftermath of previous natural disasters, NSSF […]

The post NSSF Donates to Red Cross, Provides Aid for Members Affected by Hurricane Florence appeared first on NSSF.

“From the Counter” works to identify and highlight innovative market strategies helping retailers compete more successfully. Lessons learned will be drawn from an array of regions with diverse market economies. This month, we focus on an independent retailer in the rapidly growing western mountain region 60 miles north of Denver. Rocky Mountain Shooters Supply, Fort […]

The post From the Counter: Rocky Mountain Shooters Supply appeared first on NSSF.

Caption: Left to Right – Honorable Gregory J. Slavonic, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Eva Carwile, HAVA Military Liaison, Tom Taylor, HAVA Executive Director, Heath Gunns, HAVA Outreach Manager,Rear Admiral, Katherine A. McCabe, Reserve Director, Military Personnel, Plans and Policy, Commander Steve Macdonald, who nominated HAVA for the award There’s something special when veterans get a chance […]

The post Defense Dept. Recognizes HAVA for Veteran Outreach appeared first on NSSF.

A recent Associated Press article rehashes an old report, based on older data, to tell a convenient story: Americans’ Second Amendment rights are responsible for the violence in Mexico. As we have noted here before, that is not true. There is no new information in this article that we or others have not rebutted before. […]

The post New Slant on Old Story: Blame American Gun Rights for Immigration Crisis appeared first on NSSF.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) reconfirms its support for Judge Brett Kavanaugh and urges the United States Senate to act quickly to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Judge Brett Kavanaugh is among the most highly-qualified nominees ever to be considered for the United States Supreme Court. Upon completion of […]

The post NSSF Urges Immediate Kavanaugh Vote Following FBI Investigation appeared first on NSSF.