NSSF Promotes Its Safety Programs in Chicago Trib Ad
January 29, 2009
NEWTOWN, Conn. — A full-page advertisement in today’s Chicago Tribune is designed to raise awareness about major programs sponsored by members of the firearms industry and how they promote safe and responsible firearms ownership and storage to America’s more than 80 million gun owners.
Sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the advertisement reads, “Learn What’s Being Done About Gun Safety” and highlights NSSF’s Project ChildSafe, First Shots and Don’t Lie for the Other Guy programs and their Web sites.
“It’s important that all Americans understand how members of the firearms industry are working to encourage the safe and responsible use and storage of their products through NSSF’s nationally recognized programs,” said Stephen L. Sanetti, president of NSSF. “Chicago is the first of a number of major cities where NSSF will run this educational ad and where we also will bring our industry’s safety programs such as Project ChildSafe, First Shots and Don’t Lie for the Other Guy to demonstrate our industry members’ commitment to safe firearms ownership and storage.”
Project ChildSafe promotes safe storage of firearms to help prevent accidents, particularly among children, and has distributed 35 million gun lock safety kits and safety education materials. Over 1,000,000 firearm safety kits have been distributed in Illinois alone and gun owners can receive a free firearm safety kit from many local law enforcement departments. Project ChildSafe’s Web site is www.projectchildsafe.org.
First Shots provides an introduction to safe handgun ownership for first-time shooters through education and training seminars and supervised live-fire instruction at shooting ranges across the country. Three First Shots seminars are scheduled in the greater Chicago area on Saturday, Feb. 7, with others to follow. Find a First Shots seminar at www.firstshots.org.
NSSF’s Don’t Lie for the Other Guy assists the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with educating federally-licensed firearms retailers about how to better detect and prevent illegal firearms purchases, thereby helping to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Don’t Lie for the Other Guy will also bring its message of “Buy a gun for someone who can’t and buy yourself 10 years in jail” to Chicago in March.
Media Contact:
Bill Brassard, NSSF (203) 426-1320
Ruger Announces the LCR
January 26, 2009
The LCR’s lightweight, chemical-resistant polymer fire control housing contains the entire fire control mechanism. Because the fire control components are located within this single housing, their dimensional relationship can be held much more closely than if divided between traditional grip frames and cylinder frames. The end result is that the fire control components are assembled with no hand fitting, resulting in a highly consistent product at an affordable price.
The long-fiber, glass-filled polymer fire control housing provides a reduction in perceived recoil. The fire control housing’s grip peg allows for a variety of grips to be installed, and the LCR’s standard Hogue® Tamer™ grip with Sorbothane® insert reduces perceived recoil even further. A joint effort with Hogue, the LCR’s standard grip was designed using US military anthropomorphic data on hand shape, so the LCR can be comfortably held by a broad spectrum of hand sizes. An available Crimson Trace® LaserGrip® offers the advantages of a laser sighting system.
The LCR’s monolithic frame is an aerospace grade, 7000 series aluminum forging treated with a black synergistic hard coat that is applied after machining. Successfully tested with over 30 different aggressive chemicals, this synergistic hard coat exceeds mil-spec salt spray tests, and offers performance considerably greater than hard coat anodizing. The monolithic frame provides sturdy, rigid support for the cylinder and the barrel. The 1-7/8″ long barrel, with a 1:16 twist, is made of 17-4 PH aerospace grade stainless steel, chosen for its strength and dimensional stability during machining and heat treatment.
The extensively fluted 400 series stainless steel cylinder is lightweight and compact, measuring only 1.283″ in diameter in the chamber area. Treated to an advanced form of Ruger’s Target Grey® finish, this stainless steel cylinder is strong, durable and designed to handle .38 Special +P loads. The Ruger LCR’s patent pending cylinder front latching system uses titanium components, optimized spring tension, and enhanced lockup geometry to ensure that the LCR’s cylinder stays locked in place during firing.
The LCR’s double-action-only trigger pull is uniquely engineered to minimize friction between the fire control components. This friction-reducing cam fire control system results in a non-stacking, smooth trigger pull. The LCR’s trigger pull force builds more gradually, and peaks later in the trigger stroke, resulting in a trigger pull that feels much lighter than it actually is, while still providing positive ignition of all primers. This results in more controllable shooting, even among those with smaller, weaker hands who find traditional DAO triggers difficult to operate.
The sights are replaceable ramp front, and a fixed U-notch rear. An internal lock, unobtrusively hidden under the grip, does not interfere with the fire control mechanism in any way when disengaged.
For more information on the evolutionary Ruger Lightweight Compact Revolver (LCR) and the extensive line of Ruger products and services, visit http://www.ruger.com.
About Sturm, Ruger: Sturm, Ruger was founded in 1949 and is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of high-quality firearms for the commercial sporting market. Sturm, Ruger is headquartered in Southport, CT, with plants located in Newport, NH and Prescott, AZ.
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens®
Ken Jorgensen, Director of Media Relations
603-863-3300
Cabela’s Introduces CLUB Visa Signature Card
January 26, 2009
SIDNEY, Nebraska–Cabela’s Incorporated (NYSE: CAB), the World’s Foremost Outfitter® of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, announced today that World’s Foremost Bank, Cabela’s wholly-owned bank subsidiary and issuer of Cabela’s-branded CLUB Visa credit card, rings in the New Year with the introduction of the CLUB Visa Signature card. This new loyalty program offers CLUB Visa cardholders with a minimum annual spend of $25,000 and excellent credit history new benefits and enhanced opportunities to earn more free merchandise at Cabela’s.
Cabela’s CLUB Visa Signature card has no annual fee and rewards elite cardholders by giving back 5 percent in Cabela’s CLUB points for purchases from Cabela’s and 1 percent for all other purchases. Visa Signature CLUB members will also enjoy exclusive benefits such as sports and entertainment VIP packages; concierge services; travel, hotel, spa and shopping upgrades; enhanced security features and more.
“Visa Signature cardholders represent the best of the best and we’re pleased to reward them with an incredible 5 percent when they shop at Cabela’s,” said Joe Friebe, Chief Executive Officer of World’s Foremost Bank. “With the additional benefits offered by the Visa Signature card, we believe this is the best loyalty card program available and are excited to offer it to our qualified CLUB members.”
Cabela’s CLUB points can be redeemed at Cabela’s for products of the cardholder’s choosing and there’s no limit to the number of points cardholders can earn. The program has been praised for its ease of point redemption through Cabela’s retail stores, catalogs and Web site at www.cabelas.com.
Cabela’s
Cabela’s Incorporated, headquartered in Sidney, Nebraska, is a leading specialty retailer, and the world’s largest direct marketer, of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise. Since the Company’s founding in 1961, Cabela’s® has grown to become one of the most well-known outdoor recreation brands in the world, and has long been recognized as the World’s Foremost Outfitter®. Through Cabela’s growing number of retail stores and its well-established direct business, it offers a wide and distinctive selection of high-quality outdoor products at competitive prices while providing superior customer service. Cabela’s also issues the Cabela’s CLUB® Visa credit card, which serves as its primary customer loyalty rewards program. Cabela’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CAB”.
Media Contact:
Joe Arterburn (308) 255-1204
Outdoor Channel Announces Winners of 9th Annual Golden Moose Awards
January 26, 2009
Outdoor Channel awarded 17 honors, including six “Fan Favorites” determined by viewer voting online at www.outdoorchannel.com. The ceremony was hosted by the well-known face of the modern hunting industry, Michael Waddell, and attended by an estimated 2,500 industry leaders, TV personalities and lucky fans. Country music star Craig Morgan also gave an exclusive performance.
“The Golden Moose Awards are an opportunity to honor our production teams and talent who share our commitment to delivering the highest-quality outdoor programming available on TV,” said Tom Hornish , COO at Outdoor Channel. “This is our chance to celebrate and recognize those who have helped establish Outdoor Channel as America ’s leader in outdoor TV.”
The Winners ……
Outdoor Wire Names Obama “Gun Salesman of the Year”
January 14, 2009
In recognition of the unprecedented demand for firearms by nervous consumers, The Outdoor Wire has named President-elect Barack Obama its “Gun Salesman of the Year”. For me, it was a simple fact of recognizing that without President-elect Obama’s frightening consumers into action, the firearms industry might be suffering the same sort of business slumps that have befallen the automotive and housing industries.
It’s credit where credit is due. Mr. Obama has consistently voted against individual rights to firearms, appointed a re-tread Clinton administration full of gun banners, and made it plain to anti-gun groups that despite what he might say to the contrary, he’s on their side That history, along with the unquestioned support of anti-gun organizations has spooked consumers into a buying frenzy for firearms that could be outlawed in another Assault Weapons Ban.
Manufacturers are months behind on orders for semi-automatic pistols, AR-style rifles, and anything with so-called ‘high-capacity magazines, buyers we’ve surveyed across the country seem to have a single explanation for their rush to purchase firearms – Obama.
The buying panic is not limited to people you might be described as aficionados or even ‘gun nuts’. Recently, I was in a gun store when a gentleman came and said he’d never wanted to own a gun before, but wanted to get one while he still could.”
Since the November Presidential election, firearms sales have been at unprecedented levels. For December 2008 the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) recorded a twenty-four percent increase in background checks for 2008 (1,523,426) over December 2007 (1,230,525).
This follows a forty-two percent (42%) increase in November 2008, the highest number of NICS checks in the system’s history. Those FBI background checks are required under federal law for all individuals purchasing firearms from federally licensed firearms retailers. In other words, gun sales have never been better.
Sales are so good that on Tuesday, January 6, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued a notice to all federal firearms licensees that “an unprecedented increase in demand for ATF Form 4473 had run supplies low enough that dealers were temporarily given permission to photocopy the form until supplies caught up with demand. Completion of a form 4473 is required whenever a federal firearms licensee sells a firearm.
As a journalist with more than two decades of national newsgathering experience, I’ve never seen anything approaching what he calls the “Obama effect”. In fact, gun and ammunition sales are at such frantic levels that they have surpassed the panic-buying of Y2K or anything during the Clinton years when the first Assault Weapons Ban was passed. This time, he says, concerned consumers are buying guns and ammunition in anticipation of Obama Administration actions to prohibit certain types of firearms.
In 1999, the fear was that computers would shut down, crippling the world. Those fears were unfounded. I don’t think the fears of an Obama administration banning guns are unfounded. His record speaks for itself. He’s never failed to support an anti-gun measure, despite saying he supports the Second Amendment.
Moves to prohibit firearms sales would drastically impact a billion-dollar industry that is not only healthy, but pours more than one hundred fifty million dollars annually into conservation programs through an eleven percent tax collected on guns and ammo.
The Pittman-Robertson Act provides the vast majority of funding for wildlife agencies at the federal, state and local levels and that money comes directly from the tax levied against gun owners. Damaging the firearms industry won’t just put workers in the gun business out of work, it will severely impact wildlife and conservation efforts nationally. That damage could take decades to repair – if it can be undone.”
Choosing President-elect Obama as the Gun Salesman of the Year is a lot like a good-news, bad-news joke.His election has driven gun sales into the stratosphere, but his opposition to guns and gun ownership may be the biggest threat the industry has ever faced. If he puts scoring political points with anti-gun groups ahead of economic realities, he will be deliberately putting thousands of people out of work. I don’t see that as an economic stimulus plan with much of a future.”
“Today, the facts are indisputable. Barack Obama has spurred gun sales in a time when the entire economy seems to be tanking. If that doesn’t make him the gun salesman of the year – if not the decade – I don’t know what would.
- Jim Shepherd
Outdoor Channel Announces Acquisition Of Winnercomm Inc.
January 13, 2009
Temecula, California – Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: OUTD) today announced the acquisition of Winnercomm Inc., a leading independent sports production, program development, marketing services and sales representation company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“The acquisition of Winnercomm offers multiple benefits for Outdoor Channel,” said Roger L. Werner, President and CEO of Outdoor Channel. “We will strengthen our ability to develop compelling outdoor content in an efficient manner, gain access to additional sponsorship sales capabilities, and add a rapidly growing asset in the Skycam and Cablecam systems. Outdoor Channel and Winnercomm have a history of successful collaboration on-air and on the web. We look forward to capitalizing on Winnercomm’s extensive capabilities as we build upon our category leadership position across multiple distribution platforms.”
Winnercomm’s core capabilities include TV and remote/live production, broadcast and corporate design services, interactive design and related services, cable and other marketing services, and sports sales. Winnercomm supplies over 1,000 hours of programming annually to 14 national television networks including outdoor programs such as “Under Wild Skies”, which aired on ESPN over the past 14 years, “Driven to Hunt” and “The World’s Greatest Fishing Show”, both of which currently air on ESPN. Winnercomm also possesses one of the fastest-growing interactive, marketing services and marketing consulting businesses in the Mid-West region. The Company helps create engaged fans for television networks and other businesses through packaging and delivering interesting and useful content in new and different ways, and creating unique opportunities for marketers to relate to and engage customers and prospects across multiple communications platforms. Winnercomm and its employees have earned 13 Emmy Awards, and the Company is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The patented Skycam and Cablecam systems center around a sophisticated, computer controlled cable suspension system that supports, stabilizes and allows for three dimensional movement of a camera to provide overhead video capture of major events. The use of aerial cameras has significantly changed live event sports production, most notably college and professional football. Skycam and Cablecam’s clients are among the biggest names in network and cable television.
About Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc.
Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. owns and operates Outdoor Channel, America’s leader in outdoor TV. The national network offers programming that captures the excitement of hunting, fishing, shooting, off-road motorsports, adventure and the Western lifestyle. Outdoor Channel can be viewed on multiple platforms including high definition, video-on-demand, as well as on a dynamic new broadband website. For more information about the company or Outdoor Channel, please visit www.outdoorchannel.com.
Nielsen Media Research Universe Estimates for Outdoor Channel
Nielsen Media Research is the leading provider of television audience measurement and advertising information services worldwide. Nielsen estimated that Outdoor Channel had approximately 29.5 million cable and satellite subscribers for December 2008. Please note that this estimate regarding Outdoor Channel’s subscriber base is made by Nielsen Media Research and is theirs alone and does not represent opinions, forecasts or predictions of Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. or its management. Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. does not by its reference above or distribution imply its endorsement of or concurrence with such information.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release that are not historical are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements, without limitation, about our expectations, beliefs, intentions, strategies regarding the future long-term value of the company resulting from the company’s current actions or strategic initiatives and the future anticipated value of Outdoor Channel to our audience, distributors and advertisers. The company’s actual results could differ materially from those discussed in any forward-looking statements. The company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions contained in those sections. Such statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and are qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include but are not limited to: (1) service providers discontinuing or refraining from carrying Outdoor Channel; (2) a decline in the number of viewers from having Outdoor Channel placed in unpopular cable or satellite packages, or increases in subscription fees, established by the service providers; (3) the company’s ability to grow the subscriber base of Outdoor Channel; (4) a change in Nielsen’s methodology of estimating the number of subscribers to Outdoor Channel, or an inaccuracy in Nielsen’s such estimated number; (5) a decrease in operating results from offering reduced subscriber fee rates, launch support fees and other incentives to grow the subscriber base; and other factors which are discussed in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For these forward-looking statements, the company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Media Contact:
Tom Hornish
Chief Operating Officer
951.699.6991, ext. 104
thornish@outdoorchannel.com
Brad Edwards
Brainerd Communicators, Inc.
212-986-6667
edwards@braincomm.com
Angela Hein
Bob Gold & Associates
310-784-1040
angela@bobgoldpr.com
Shooting and Outdoor News
January 12, 2009
Olin Corporation (NYSE:OLN) will review it’s fourth quarter and full year 2008 earnings on Tuesday, January 27… LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. (Nasdaq: BOOT) will report its results for the fourth quarter and year end of 2008 after market close on February 2, 2009…
Ruger Announces Shares Repurchase in Q4 2008
January 12, 2009
At December 31, 2008, $4.7 million remains authorized and available for share repurchases and 19.1 million shares remain outstanding.
About Sturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger was founded in 1949 and is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of high-quality firearms for the commercial sporting market. Sturm, Ruger is headquartered in Southport, CT, with manufacturing facilities located in Newport, NH and Prescott, Arizona
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Southport, Connecticut
Army awards $49M contract to Alliant Techsystems
January 8, 2009
AP
Tuesday December 30, 5:49 pm ET
Alliant Techsystems gets $49 million Army ammunition contract
Shares of Alliant Techsystems rose $2.30, or 2.8 percent, to close at $83.86 Tuesday.
Smith & Wesson to Equip South Australia Police Force
January 8, 2009
SAPOL Completes Trials; Selects Military & Police Pistols for 4,000-Officer Department
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SWHC), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 157-year old company in the global business of safety, security, protection and sport, announced today that it has received confirmation from the South Australia Police Force (SAPOL) that it will arm its 4,000-officer frontline force with the Company’s M&P40 pistols.
SAPOL conducted a field trial during 2008 in which 502 operational country and metropolitan police officers received training in the safe handling and use of the M&P pistol and carried the firearm in an operational environment. Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Burns, said, “Feedback from our officers was very positive and they welcome the introduction of the semi-automatic M&P40. The M&P40 has a number of enhanced features and is a good fit for policing purposes in South Australia. It will replace the Smith & Wesson .357 revolver which was previously standard issue.”
SAPOL joins a growing number of police departments across the globe where the M&P pistol is currently standard issue. Those include Trinidad and Tobago Police Services, Sindh Police Agency in Pakistan, Halton Regional Police Service in Canada, Nuclear Security Agency in France, United Nations Security Force in the Netherlands, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Agencies in Italy, Mexico, and Thailand, as well as Atlanta Police Department, Charlotte Police Department, Syracuse Police Department and numerous additional law enforcement and security divisions across the United States.
