Think I might make this a regular column heading. With all the social media out there—after all, you wouldn’t be here reading this if you weren’t tapped in one way or another—stumbling across an item pertinent to guns, hunting, and recreational shooting is about as easy as making toast. So, when I’m bumbling around my keyboard and I stumble across something intriguing, remarkable, or even just plain odd, this column within a blog is where you’ll find it. At the same time, because we all get our media from different sources, let me know when you come across something you want to talk about here. Hit me up on my Facebook fan page, Twitter me @JLSPearsall, and certainly, by all means, absolutely and positively post a comment here on GunDigest.com. Okay? Well, then, here we go!
Celebrate!
Everybody reading this has heard of the NRA. You’re probably also familiar with the baseball-capped logo of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, or NSSF. What you might not know is what the NSSF does. In a nutshell, they’re the industry trade group, and while they often work in tandem with the NRA, the NSSF’s focus is specifically on the business end of shooting, hunting, and firearms. Did your local range come under criticism from the surrounding suburbs or need help with an equipment upgrade? The NSSF likely stepped in to help. Ever seen a trap event of undergrad shooters? Almost certainly, the NSSF’s Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative was responsible for some or all of the tournament taking place. And when it comes to hunting guides and outfitters, educational materials firearm safety, and taking the first steps to firing a first gun, then the NSSF.org site has become a one-stop site for all this and more.
So, what am I getting at here? If my gathering of Facebook friends and Twitter followers is any indication, there are a whole lot of you out there who are in the gun and outdoor business in one way or another. Taxidermists, duck call creators, bow string makers, elk guides, regional hunting club managers, and more, you’re all part of this business, our business, the business of keeping our hunting and shooting heritage in place. So I urge you, if you’re leaving your mark on our industry, big or small, support the NSSF as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary and join. Together we are stronger.
That SP101 Revolver is Worth HOW Much?
Fort Knox might want to make a little room in the vault. Bill Gunderson, a professional money manager and former research analyst reporting on the website www.seekingalpha.com, recently posted a column entitled “Sturm, Ruger Looks Better Than Gold.” (I got the tip on this column through the NSSF’s 8/22/11 Bullet Points newsletter.) Now, you’d have to be living in a former cave of Bin Laden’s not to know what the gold has been doing on the open exchange for the last couple years, so when Gunderson crunched the numbers and reported that Sturm Ruger stock had been outperforming gold—and not by a little, but by a lot—I paid attention. In fact, the venerable gun manufacturer has been trouncing gold performance for a stellar five years! And just how do savvy gun lovers take advantage of this? Simple. Buy the stock—and then add another Ruger gun to your “portfolio.
Some Assembly Required
My good friend and gun industry PR guru Laura Burgess sent a press release to me about a new product she’s repping. Now, I’ve heard of model airplane kits, kit cars, and Kit Carson, but I’ve never heard of an FFL Kit. Brian Maddox, founder of the new www.FFL123.com, walks any gun seller-wannabe through the process for applying for any of nine FFL licenses, including Class 3. Maddox covers debunks and demystifies what most would consider a red tape ball of Guinness-World-Records proportions, including telling users why they might incur a license application denial and how to prevent such disappointment from happening. In fact, Maddox is so sure he can get the average law-abiding citizen on his way to a being a certified and fully, legally licensed firearms seller, that he guarantees you’ll get your FFL license or you get 150% of your money back. Pretty good odds I’d say, pretty good odds indeed.
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