BIS New Rule Summary and Immediate Change to Export Regulations For Shotguns and Optics

Unfortunately, many of the changes BIS implemented through the so-called “90-day” pause are becoming permanent in the interim final rule. This will have a negative impact on many firearm industry businesses.

  • Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) interim final rule was released Friday, April 26, for public inspection. On Tuesday, April 30, it was published to the Federal Register. The rule takes effect May 30, 2024. Public comment period is open until July 1, 2024.
      • NSSF® strongly encourages all exporting companies in the industry to submit public comments and to set forth the economic impact on your business, i.e., lost sales, loss of jobs. We encourage you to engage with your supply chain who will be adversely impacted by the rule and encourage them to submit comments to BIS.
      • Please share your comment letter with NSSF and with your Member of Congress and U.S. Senators. Please share your comment letter with Joe Bliss.

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Firearms, Gun Control

It’s Official: New World’s Record Roosevelt’s Elk Smashes Old Record

The records department of the Boone and Crockett Club recently convened a Special Judges Panel to verify the entry score of a Roosevelt’s elk received earlier this year. Two separate teams of judges remeasured the entry and adjusted the score from 439-7/8 points to 455-2/8 points.

“The main objective of any panel, whether it be a Special Judges Panel or Awards Judges Panel, is to confirm the accepted entry score,” said Kyle Lehr, the Club’s director of big game records. “Sometimes differences in measurements are discovered through this process, and corrections need to be made. In the case of Mr. Carpenter’s Roosevelt’s elk, those differences resulted in an increase in score.”

Timothy Carpenter killed the bull on September 21, 2023, in Humboldt County, California. Carpenter’s elk smashes the previous world’s record of 419-6/8 points taken by Rick Bailey in British Columbia in 2015. No stranger to big elk, Carpenter has multiple Roosevelt’s elk in the records, including a 2011 bull that scored 398-1/8, which is the current archery world’s record. Read more

Hunting

Millennium Marine B-Series Boat Seats

A good quality marine seat is an essential accessory for any vessel. Millennium Marine’s B-Series line provides anglers with durable, comfortable support while helping retain a boat’s appearance and help maintain its value.

Millennium Marine’s seats are made from their exclusive, patented ComfortMAX® fabric. This fabric undergoes a treatment process that repels mold and mildew and protects against harmful UV rays, so it doesn’t fade, wear, and break down like other fabrics. The ComfortMAX material is also perforated, which allows air to pass through for maximum breathability.

Millennium Marine’s B-series seat line features lumbar support for all-day comfort so anglers can stay out on the water from dawn to dusk. These products are built for performance, quality, and durability. They feature a contoured, tight sling that comfortably supports up to 400 lbs. Each seat in Millennium Marine’s B-series product line is designed to withstand all temperature and weather conditions and will mount to any boat seat pedestal, with optional seat cables available. Read more

Fishing

Hagerty, Colleagues Announce Legislation to Block BIS Admin Rule

Hagerty-led Resolution of Disapproval would overturn the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security’s rule that would permanently extend the current “pause” on firearm export licenses

WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today announced his plan to file a Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution of Disapproval to block the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) interim final rule that prohibits Americans from exercising their Second Amendment Rights. The Resolution of Disapproval is co-sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fisher (R-NE), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Jim Risch (R-ID).

The interim final rule severely restricts the ability of American firearm, ammunition, and related-component manufacturers to obtain a license to export their products for sale. This is an attempt to effectively permanently extend the current “pause” on such export licenses and will rescind approximately 2,000 active export licenses for certain firearms. In addition to being an unlawful, unjustified exercise of regulatory authority, this will have a substantial, negative impact on these American manufacturers, their suppliers, and the jobs they support.

“This rule is another Operation Choke Point—a politically motivated effort that significantly harms Tennessee manufacturers—and will consequently destroy U.S. jobs and small businesses that support the firearm and ammunition industry,” said Senator Hagerty. “The Biden Administration has made clear that its goal is to damage the firearm industry that supplies the products that allow Americans to exercise their constitutional freedom. Crushing American exports is just a means to skirt the legislative process and do damage to yet another Biden-disfavored industry. I’m pleased to lead my colleagues in an effort to overturn this unlawful and unwarranted rule and protect American enterprise.” Read more

Gun Control

Another Successful Release of a Manatee in Three Sisters Springs

First Lady Casey DeSantis and Mamie DeSantis helped send the Manatee “Toast” back into the spring.

Today, First Lady Casey DeSantis joined the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and SeaWorld at Three Sisters Springs to assist with the release of a manatee back into the wild. The manatee, named Toast, was rescued at Kings Bay near Three Sisters Springs in January after suffering from a natural buoyancy problem. The manatee was taken to SeaWorld Orlando’s rescue and rehabilitation facility. The First Lady assisted FWC and SeaWorld as they conducted a final medical evaluation of the manatee before releasing him back into the water.

“It was a joy to be a part of this release and to see a rehabilitated manatee be returned to his home, happy and healthy,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “I am proud of the work that FWC and their partners, like SeaWorld, do to help these animals when they are in need. The Governor is committed to providing the resources necessary for these gentle sea giants to thrive in Florida’s waterways, and I am happy to see that Florida’s investments are paying off for the manatee population.”

“We were delighted to have First Lady Casey DeSantis join us in releasing a rehabilitated manatee back into the wild,” said FWC Executive Director Roger Young. “Governor DeSantis’ bold leadership in funding manatee protection, habitat restoration, and rehabilitation ensures their sustainability for years to come.” Read more

Fishing

NSSF Deeply Critical of Commerce Department Plan to Permanently Throttle Firearm Exports

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, is deeply critical of the Interim Final Rule published today by Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) that cements the supposed 90-day firearm export “pause” into permanent policy and creates additional regulatory burdens. The Biden administration has demonstrated again their deepening contempt toward the firearm industry. This rule entrenches their “whole of government” attack and is intended to hobble the firearm industry’s ability to compete in the international market under the false pretense of advancing U.S. national security.

“The enmity of the Biden administration against the firearm industry and Second Amendment rights is without parallel. This is deeply troubling the lengths to which this administration will go to turn the levers of government against a Constitutionally-protected industry in order to cozy up to special-interest gun control donors,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. “The supposed ‘temporary pause’ to review firearm export policies was a farce. It was an effort to buy the administration time to gin up policies that would strike at the heart of the ability of this industry to stay in business. This has been the end goal since President Biden said from the Democratic debate stage that ‘firearm manufacturers are the enemy.’ This is a wholesale attack on the industry that provides the means for Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights.” Read more

Firearms, Gun Control

Ranger Cuts Workforce

Ranger Boats has reduced its workforce by 176 across three of its plants. The company, owned by Bass Pro Shops, says the cuts have been made in response to soft demand and the poor economy – despite what Joe Biden claims.

Seventy jobs have gone at the Flippin plant in Arkansas, 85 at Lebanon, Missouri, and 21 at Bolivar, Missouri.

“Similar to others in the marine industry, we needed to make adjustments to our operations in response to the current soft demand for marine products and the overall economic climate,” said a spokesman for Bass Pro Shops. Read more

Fishing

Wild Foraging

On the hunt for morels, fiddlehead ferns, and ramps

By Jim Edlund

Another winter has departed from the Upper Midwestern landscape. Stream trout season is open; turkeys are gobbling; crappies have moved into shallow bays; and thousands upon thousands are chasing willing walleyes on rivers.

I can remember learning as a kid that blooming lilacs and oak leaves the size of a squirrel’s ear signaled two springtime activities: shallow-water crappie fishing and morel mushroom hunting.

With a bead on the weather, you know it’s morel hunting time when night-time temps are consistent in the high 40s to low 50s at night with daytime temps in the 60s, occasional rain, and a return to soil temperatures between 45 and 50 degrees.

If you’ve never hunted morel mushrooms, it’s a great excuse to explore the woods and waters. And it’s hard to put a price tag on potential bounty, although fresh morel mushrooms can fetch between $20 to $100 a pound depending on availability.

At the same time you’re hunting morels, there’s a good chance you’ll stumble into delicate fiddlehead ferns and wild ramps, especially near streams and creeks. Read more

Wildlife

The Headrest Safe Company Participates in $5K Jacob Grey Spring Giveaway

The Headrest Safe Company™, LLC, innovators of the ultimate discreet vehicle safe storage system, is proud to announce their participation in the 2024 Spring Shooters Giveaway with your chance to win the ultimate Jacob Grey Firearms package including a Headrest Safe Vulcan bundle, a $599.00 retail value! The contest runs until May 31st, 2024. Join the Headrest Safe and Jacob Grey Firearms for the most exciting collaboration of the year.

This landmark collaboration brings several of the shooting sports industry’s most renowned brands together to offer this incredible opportunity. This exclusive giveaway not only promises to elevate your shooting experience, but also to kit you out with some of the finest gear and accessories available on the market with a prize value of over $5,000! To enter, simply “click here”. Read more

Ammunition, Firearms, Promotions

Motor City Walleyes

Tips and tricks learned on the Detroit River can play into your walleye fishing hand.

Among bucket-list spring walleye fishing destinations, the Detroit River is legendary. With both trophy potential and numbers, the river draws scores of anglers each year, many partaking in the run as an annual rite.

One of those anglers is Judson Rodriguez, who escorted Whitewater Fishing staff on the metro moving waters, all in search of big, photo-worthy fish. Below, Judson offers his advice for anglers thinking about fishing the Detroit—including the when, where, and how of it.

“In early April, the water temp was between 43.3- and 43.8 degrees. As we got into a little more stained water, the water temp came up a bit. We fished a lot of those water areas where clear water met dirty and found fish there, which is typical,” says Rodriguez.

“There was a good mix of spawning females with lots of smaller males in the mix. We started fishing at 6:30 a.m. each day so we could see what we were doing. The best bite is typically around daybreak, so we had about an hour to pluck big females. Then, the rest of the day, it’s sorting males until about 6 p.m., and then you’ve got a shot at another big one.” Read more

Fishing
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