NSSF Denounces USFWS Settlement Proposal to Ban Traditional Ammo that Saddles Lawyer Fees on Taxpayers

NEWTOWN, Conn. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, denounces a joint motion for a continuance in Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (CBD v. USFWS) that seeks to ban the use of traditional lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Both parties filed for a joint motion to stay proceedings until Nov. 2, but that settlement agreement now includes taxpayers paying the bill for legal and court costs. This settlement proposal is a textbook example of the “sue and settle” schemes brought by activist lawyers and agreed to by government bureaucrats to enact policies that cannot survive the lawmaking or rule making process while enriching special-interest groups at taxpayer expense.

“The notion that federal agencies would work hand-in-glove with anti-hunting activists to thwart hunting on National Wildlife Refuges is maddening enough. The proposal that taxpayer dollars will be used to line the pockets of these activist groups should be infuriating to all,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This is an egregious abuse of the courts and adds insult to injury to actual hunter-conservationists that fund and support those that actually fund wildlife conservation.”

The lawsuit seeks to expand the USFWS’s recent ban on the use of traditional ammunition that was finalized without a shred of scientific evidence. Instead, it was predicated on the theoretical possibility of detrimental population effects. It is obvious that wildlife populations are vibrant and healthy, a result of nearly a century’s worth of excise taxes paid for wildlife conservation. The firearm and ammunition industry has paid over $15.3 billion since 1937 – or over $23 billion when adjusted for inflation – that has made the North American Wildlife Conservation Model the envy of the world. Read more

Ammunition

Improve Accuracy, Reduce Game Recovery Time with NBEF’s Whitetail Shot Placement Aids

RAPID CITY, SD (October 10, 2022) – The National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) offers educational items to increase success and safety for bowhunters. Whitetail hunters can refer to these tools to improve shot accuracy for a quick harvest and game recovery.

The Advanced Whitetail Deer Anatomy and Shot Placement Guide is an informative shot placement training aid with full color 8.5″ x 11″ transparent overlays. Separate acrylic overlays feature the muscular system, skeletal system, circulatory system, and vital organs specific to a white-tailed deer. Accompanying text includes shot placement information and illustrations for both firearm hunters and bowhunters. Useful for hunting guides, hunter education instructors or today’s informed hunter. Responsible hunting includes knowledge of accurate shot placement for a quick kill and game recovery. This is part of the International Bowhunter Education Program Hunter Responsibility Series which includes anatomy and shot placement guides for bear, turkey and elk. Suggested retail $12.50.

The 3-D Whitetail Deer Anatomy Sectional is an excellent tool for hunter education classes and hunter certification courses. It’s molded to near life size and pre-drilled to show arrow shot placement on white-tailed deer. A removable magnetic scapula and display stand are included. Allow for possible long lead times when ordering this product. Suggested retail $250.

“NBEF encourages bowhunters to use available reference information and tools that can lead to safer and more successful hunts,” explained NBEF Executive Director Marilyn Bentz. “As stewards of our sport it makes sense to educate ourselves and others on best practices.” Read more

Hunting

Michigan: Learn About Designing with Mass Timber

Panel offers insights on designing with mass timber

If you’re interested in the possibilities of emerging mass timber construction, register now for the upcoming “Designing in Mass Timber – Current Work and Lessons Learned” webinar, set for noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20.

Panelists include Anna Anderson, project manager/designer for the architecture and design firm Lord Aeck Sargent; Ben Ridderbos, director of Lord Aeck Sargent; and Matt Kantner, associate engineer at Equilibrium Consulting. Brian Craig of the Michigan Forest Biomaterials Institute will moderate the panel.

Mass timber construction allows for the building of large and tall structures using engineered wood, and often goes up faster than traditional steel and concrete construction. It is also growing in popularity due to the use of renewable materials. Read more

General

Federal Judge Grants TRO Against Most of NY Concealed Carry Law

Washington, D.C. – Today, Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) secured a temporary restraining order in federal court against the poorly named New York “Concealed Carry Improvement Act.” This follows GOA and GOF re-filing their lawsuit against New York just two weeks ago.

Provisions of this law that are blocked under this TRO include:

  • Requiring businesses to openly state they ALLOW concealed carry
  • Disclosing one’s social media accounts for review
  • Prohibitions on carrying in most so-called “sensitive places,” including doctor’s offices, Times Square, restaurants and places of entertainment, and on public transportation
  • In-person interviews with law enforcement

The TRO will take effect next week, unless a federal circuit court overturns this ruling before then.

Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, issued the following statement:

“Anti-gunners like Kathy Hochul and Eric Adams lied and misrepresented the Second Amendment to the courts, putting New Yorkers at a great disadvantage in the midst of rising crime. We are grateful to Judge Suddaby for his quick action to restore the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Once the TRO goes into effect, GOA encourages New Yorkers to exercise their rights and to defend themselves and the ones they love.” Read more

Gun Control

BoatUS: How to Recover Your Boat After a Hurricane

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – With the remnants of Hurricane Ian heading off into the Atlantic, boat owners in Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina are starting recovery efforts. To help those affected, Boat Owners Association of These United States (BoatUS) offers five tips to help recover recreational vessels and begin the salvage process.

“The goal for any boat owner is to try to prevent further damage if possible,” said BoatUS vice president of public affairs Scott Croft. “That will help potentially lessen repairs and get you back on the water sooner.”

  1. Get permission first. Never try to enter a storm-affected marina or boat storage facility without it. Bring proof of ownership. Spilled fuel combined with the potential of downed electrical wires and a host of other hazards make them extremely dangerous places. Don’t even think of smoking. Stay off docks until it is safe to do so and never climb in or on boats that have piled up together or are dangling precariously from dock pilings or other obstructions.
  2. Remove valuables. If your boat has washed ashore, remove as much equipment as possible and move it to a safe place to protect it from looters and vandals. It’s a good idea to put your name, telephone number, address and email somewhere conspicuously on the boat – along with a “No Trespassing” sign.
  3. Minimize further damage. Protect your boat from further water damage resulting from exposure to the weather. This could include covering it with a tarp or boarding up broken windows or hatches. As soon as possible, start drying out the boat, either by taking advantage of sunny weather or using electric air handlers. All wet materials, such as cushions, must be removed and saved for a potential insurance claim. The storm may be gone, but the clock is ticking on mold growth.
  4. “Pickle” wet machinery. Engines and other machinery that were submerged or have gotten wet should be “pickled” by flushing with freshwater and then filled with diesel fuel or kerosene. Here’s how.
  5. Consult your insurance provider. If your boat is sunk or must be moved by a salvage company, BoatUS recommends that boat owners should not sign any salvage or wreck-removal contract without first getting approval from their insurance company. Proceeding without your insurer’s knowledge and approval may jeopardize your coverage.

Additional post-hurricane boat recovery tips can be found here.

Fishing

Mexico Loses Claim Against U.S. Firearms Manufacturers

From Jim Shepherd…

Earlier this week, Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor of the Massachusetts Federal District Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Mexican government against U.S. gunmakers.

The Mexican government brought a $10-billion lawsuit against several gunmakers, alleging they had used negligent business practices that had led to illegal arms trafficking and deaths in Mexico.

According to the claims made in the case, Mexico’s “high-impact crimes” are primarily committed using U.S. made firearms.

The basis of their claim -the appeal of those guns- isn’t all that different from the argument used by California legislators in their latest raft of gun regulations: that the marketing and manufacturing of “high-powered weapons” by the manufacturers had “appeal” to a certain potential market demographic.

California claims the impressionable youths of that state are irresistibly wooed by the marketers.

Mexico, however, claims that irresistibility is to their (many) criminal cartels.

Saylor dismissed the Mexican claim, saying U.S. law “unequivocally” prohibits lawsuits that seek to hold gun manufacturers responsible when people use their products for their intended purposes.

The foundational law Judge Saylor cites is, of course, the law that anti-gunners have been trying to get repealed since its passage on October 26, 2005: the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Firearms act.

In his ruling, Judge Saylor said the court had “considerable sympathy for the people of Mexico, and none whatsoever for those who traffic guns to Mexico.”

But, he concluded, the court was “duty-bound to follow the law.”

Mexican officials say they’ll appeal the decision and will continue insisting that the “weapons trade be responsible, transparent and with accountability.”

As you might imagine, U.S. manufacturers were less than excited at yet another lawsuit trying to make them responsible for the criminal acts of others.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Larry Keane said that while he sympathized with the people of Mexico, the crime there was “not the fault of the firearms industry.”

“Under federal law,” Keane says, the firearms industry can only “sell their lawful products to Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights- after passing a background check.”

The Mexican government’s response was simple: “we don’t accept that and therefore we’re going to appeal.”

Firearms

Ohio Man Convicted of Fraud in Hunting Lease Scheme

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio man was convicted of wire fraud and sentenced to prison for his role in an illegal scheme to solicit payments and sell hunting leases on properties where he had no authority, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The U.S. District Court in Southern Ohio found Nathan L. Knox, 30, of Mechanicsburg, guilty on September 8 and sentenced him to one year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and restitution of $18,037.

According to court documents, the defendant operated a scheme in 2019 where he placed advertisements on social media pages for supposed hunting leases in Ohio, but he had no right to sell the leases in question. The defendant charged prospective clients between $400 and $5,000 and offered pictures of mature buck deer as false evidence of the parcels. In total, he solicited payments from at least 68 different individuals, all residing outside Ohio, and received payments totaling $34,000 from at least 59 of those individuals. Read more

Hunting

Federal Ammunition 100-Year Celebration Sweepstakes Winner Announced

ANOKA, Minnesota – October 6, 2022 – As part of the 100-year anniversary celebration, Federal Ammunition partnered with the NRA to hold one if its largest sweepstakes in company history. Tom from Arkansas was awarded the massive prize package that included more than 54,000 rounds of Federal Ammunition valued at over $28,000.

“This sweepstakes was a great way to accentuate Federal’s 100-year anniversary celebration,” said Federal’s Director of Marketing, Brian Anderson. “The scope of the ammunition included in the prize package showcases the wide range of ammunition and innovation throughout Federal’s 100-year history. This was a fun sweepstakes event, and we congratulate the winner.”

The giveaway event ran during the spring and summer months of 2022. Ammunition included in the prize package highlights some of Federal’s most popular loads in the most popular cartridges.

“I give my sincerest thanks to Federal Ammunition for this undeserving prize,” said Tom. “This ammunition will be a blessing to both my family and friends. But beyond that, it will also be used by my son’s high school trap team.” Read more

Ammunition

Inaugural Virginia Elk Hunt Generates $600K+in Conservation Funding

MISSOULA, Mont. — Hunters supporting Virginia’s first-ever managed elk hunt scheduled to take place October 8-14 generated more than $606,000 to bolster wildlife and management projects within the state’s elk management zone.

“This funding is an indicator of the significant contributions of hunters who support Virginia’s elk and elk country,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We also salute our partners at the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) for their diligence in successfully managing the state’s growing elk herd. Those efforts open the door for this first, historic hunt.”

DWR awarded its first elk conservation license to RMEF which conducted a raffle that generated more than $93,000 for conservation. That came on the heels of DWR’s initial lottery of five antlered elk tags that raised more than $513,000.

“That’s approximately half a million dollars that will go right back into wildlife conservation because of the contributions of these hunters,” said Ryan Brown, DWR executive director. “Though a small hunt, it’s significant in marking the early success of the restoration of this magnificent animal to Virginia, and also a tremendous opportunity to show the greater public the conservation benefits of hunting.” Read more

Hunting
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