• ELECTION DAY - ONE MORE TIME . . . It's election time in Louisiana - again. Saturday, December 7, is the runoff between incumbent Senator Mary  Landrieu (D) and challenger Suzie Terrell (R). Polls are split with two showing Landrieu leading and two showing Terrell (R) ahead. Louisiana sportsmen could make the difference in this tight race. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has been running radio ads reminding sportsmen and women to "Vote Your Sport" and to vote by absentee ballot if they plan on being in the field hunting on Saturday.

• FATHER OF REPLICA FIREARMS INDUSTRY VAL J. FORGETT SR. DIES . . . Val J. Forgett Sr., founder of Navy Arms and the man recognized as the father of the replica firearms industry, died at the age of 72 on November 25, after a long battle with the blood disorder Meylodisplastic Syndrome (MDS).  Forgett was the first person to produce authentic replica black powder revolvers and percussion military rifles, traveling to Italy's famed Gardone Valley to work with such gunmakers as Aldo Uberti, Davide Pedersoli and Luciano Amadi. Forgett's pioneering efforts in establishing a whole new category within the firearms industry were recognized in 1977 by the Italian Government, who knighted him as a Cavaliere. An avid muzzleloader, Forgett founded and chaired the U.S. International Muzzleloading Team and lead them to five consecutive world championships. Forgett was also the first person in the 20th Century to take the African Big Five with a muzzleloading rifle. Forgett was a well known and respected collector of antique firearms and served as President of the National Firearms Museum.  His love of competitive shooting lead him to serve as an International Shooting Union (ISU) Olympic judge, acting as a shooting official at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He also was the Chairman of Shooting Events for the 1984 International Games for the Disabled. "Val Forgett stands out as a leader and a pioneer in the sporting firearms industry. He was not afraid to forge new concepts in a traditional industry, and America's hunters and shooters embraced his ideas. His company and its products reflected both his vision and his dedication to quality firearms craftsmanship," commented Bob Delfay, special advisor to the Chairman of NSSF. There will be a memorial on December 10 at the Sheraton Crossroads Hotel, 1 International Blvd., Mahwah, NJ from 2 to 5p.m. A short service will be held 2:30p.m. followed by a reception for fellowship and remembrances of Val and to celebrate his life. Directions to the hotel can be obtained by calling (201) 529-1660 or at www.sheraton.com. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the following organizations that Val thought deeply about and which supported him in his illness: MDS Research, Dr. Azra Raza, Rush Presbyterian Hospital, 2242 W Harrison, Suite 108, Chicago Ill 60612; Oncology Research, Dr. Martin Oster, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, 161 Ft Washington Ave., NY, NY 10032; Shriners Hospital for Children; 369 E Mount Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ 07039.

• OUTSIDE GROUP SURVEYING FIREARM INDUSTRY . . . The National Shooting Sports Foundation recently learned that some industry members have received a survey entitled, "Firearm Distribution Practices." The survey is being conducted by a Ronald J. Adams Ph.D, professor of marketing at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The survey asks the recipient's opinion on matters pertaining to the design and distribution of handguns. The subject matter of the survey questions are at the core of the allegations being made against members of the industry in the politically motivated lawsuits being pursued by big-city politicians, greedy trial lawyers and anti-gun activist lawyers from the Brady Center. None of the industry sources we spoke with including both the NRA, and the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers had any knowledge of this survey.

• RANGE MANAGEMENT SEMINARS . . . The National Association of Shooting Ranges (NASR) is putting together its 2003 schedule of range management seminars. The schedule fills fast, so if you would like to offer a seminar through your organization, please contact Mary Maki at mmaki@nssf.org or at (203) 426-1320. Seminars will be scheduled based on availability and the number of range owners, operators and club officers represented. Co-sponsorship with other organizations (including government agencies) is a plus.

SHOT SHOW NEWS

• TICKETS TO SEE TRAVIS GOING FAST . . . Only two weeks into ticket sales for the SHOT SHOW's big night when country music artist Travis Tritt is to celebrate the 25th SHOT SHOW, already a third of the tickets have been sold. To secure your place at the biggest evening in SHOT SHOW history visit SHOTSHOW.org and order your tickets now - before it's too late.

• PRE-REGISTRATION FOR SHOT GOING STRONG . . . Online pre-registration for the 25th SHOT SHOW is going strong. With the 2003 show shaping up to be one of the best ever, it's no wonder retailers are signing up early. To register online go to SHOTSHOW.org and take advantage of the discounted fee of $15.00. On-site registration will cost $50.00 - so don't delay.

• MEDIA REGISTRATION FOR SHOT SHOW . . . Media registration for the 2003 SHOT SHOW is underway. Qualified members of the press can download the required registration form and see complete registration guidelines at the SHOT SHOW media registration page.

ENFORCING EXISTING LAWS

• MARYLAND TO INCREASE GUN-CRIME PROSECUTIONS . . . "Maryland's U.S. attorney, under pressure since he took office to increase gun-crime prosecutions, has designated two new assistants to handle firearms violations and told Baltimore police this week to send his office 30 new cases from high-crime areas in the city," according to a story in the Baltimore Sun. This new effort has been named "Operation Red Zone" for its targeting of criminal activities in the city's 14 high-crime areas.

AROUND THE STATES

• MAYOR VETOES HANDGUN REGISTRATION IN DELAWARE . . . Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker vetoed a bill passed by Wilmington City Council which would have required city residents to register new and previously purchased firearms "saying it would provide nothing but false hope to residents worried about gun violence" according to a story in the News Journal. The law was to take effect July 1, 2003. The City Council can override the veto with nine votes. "Baker said he would prefer voluntary gun registration because a mandatory system that punishes law-abiding gun owners with fines and jail terms is not the way to reduce crime. He said police have confiscated 450 guns since January 2001, and taking officers from their normal duties to enforce a registration law would cut into that effort. "Our concerns should remain focused on finding and arresting those who have obtained their weapons illegally," he said."

AROUND THE INTERNET

• A NEW TRADITION OF HUNTING . . . The changing culture of deer hunters and the aging of its members are among the subjects of a lengthy piece that ran in the New York section of the New York Times. Reading Kirk Johnson's story is well worth the time it takes to register for free on the Times Web site.

• STRONG ARGUMENTS . . . Nationally syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell takes apart many of the often heard arguments used by gun control proponents in a piece the Washington Times carries on its Web site title "Twisted barrel of anti-gun logic."

• UNDER THE MAGNIFYING GLASS . . . Those of us who grew up around guns and hunting take for granted many of the things that our underprivileged -- those unfamiliar with our shooting and hunting heritage -- countrymen find fascinating, and it shows when a reporter for Boulder, Colorado's DailyCamera.com takes a trip to the range.

COPYRIGHT 2002 by National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted for broadcast, publication, retransmission to e-mail lists, WWW or any other copying or storage, in any medium, online or not, if 1) the text is forwarded in its entirety, including this paragraph, and 2) no fee is charged.

 

SUBSCRIPTION to Bullet Points is free, and available at Bullet Points

 

UNSUBSCRIBE - To be removed from this newsletter, simply click on Bullet Points and follow the instructions to have you email automatically removed.