Smith & Wesson Revolver frames
(Dan Z for TTAG)
NSSF

From the NSSF:

The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearm and ammunition industry, is grateful for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) inclusion of the firearm industry’s manufacturing, distribution, retail and range businesses as essential critical services that should remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

NSSF has been working closely with the Trump Administration and DHS to convey the important role the firearm and ammunition industry performs for national security, public safety, and the ability for continued exercise of individual constitutional liberties and self-protection.

Coronavirus gun sales store
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

“We are deeply appreciative to the Trump Administration and Department of Homeland Security for recognizing the vital role our industry fulfills in our nation,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NSSF.

Smith & Wesson factory
Dan Z. for TTAG

“We have seen over the past week hundreds of thousands, even millions of Americans choosing to exercise their right to keep and bear arms to ensure their safety and the safety of loved ones during these uncertain times. Americans must not be denied the ability to exercise that right to lawfully purchase and acquire firearms during times of emergency. This guidance from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is crucial to governors and local officials as they craft the orders to preserve public health.”

Nick Lehorn for TTAG
The Range at Austin

The firearm industry continues to provide small arms to the U.S. military, even during times of crisis. The national security mission remains and U.S. Armed Forces, with rare exception, rely upon domestically manufactured small arms. Most law enforcement departments rely on local firearm retailers to supply them with their firearms to perform the critical duty of providing for community safety.

Law-abiding individuals also rely on these retailers for the ability to purchase their firearms and ammunition. It is also where retailers are able to explain the responsibilities of safe firearm ownership and storage and new gun owners are able to access ranges to learn to safely handle their firearms.

 

About the NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

43 COMMENTS

    • You need to get 25,000 of your friends to show up like they did in Virginia. That would be a great first step.

      • Except that no more than ten people are allowed to assemble in one place at one time. My curfew begins in 13 minutes. Lifted at 0600 hrs. How the he’ll am I supposed to go fishing?

        • how in hell are they going to arrest 25,000 people in one day? get everyone to show up and there will be nothing the state can do about it. Same as Alexander Solzhenitsyn talked about in his book that if people rather than cowering in their apartments when they heard the KGB on the stairs going to take someone away if they had all come out with kitchen knives, pitch forks etc etc and attacked the course of history would have been drastically changed

        • you seem resourceful… i have faith you’ll find a way.
          as long as you’re not catching ~grouper~ you should be otay.
          rode my bike from northbeach to the keys two days after andrew touched down. every county curfewed and national guard at each county border.
          not much looting to do with saddlebags; never even had to stop, waived right through each checkpoint. rode over many downed live (previously) high tension wires. even when you understand (i stood on the 660v dc third rail on a dare as a kid) it’s still scary.

    • essential critical services that SHOULD remain open????

      One word (SHOULD not MUST) tells you ALL you need to know about how it affects the Kommie States… It’s GUIDANCE not an ORDER….

  1. Looks pretty weak to me after reading the document. It is advisory only and not a directive to safe guard our 2nd Amendment rights during this event. Unless there is another document or is missing, this is a do what you want if you are a Democratic state governor or city mayor or local council and nothing has changed. No advisory recommendation for our firearm industry, except for defense work.

    • Finally found the only section beside defense to say anything about our firearms industry under the heading

      LAW ENFORCEMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS

      Workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges.

  2. People forget that each of the fifty states are sovereign. And they conduct their Affairs internally as they choose. The Trump Administration has done a good thing. However the governor’s don’t have to follow it if they don’t want to. No matter how strongly worded the Trump administration’s statements are about the Firearms industry.

    Trump has previously said self defense with Firearms to protect Americans is our right. And specifically pointed to church members who defend themselves and their congregations. But those words of support for the Second Amendment fell on deaf ears to the governors in blue States.

    Trump 2020.

    • “…each of the fifty states are sovereign”

      That is what the Constitution intended, but hasn’t been the reality for over 150 years.

        • Yup. Recall all the controversy around the founding of the Dept. Of Ed. Lived through it. It is not interstate commerce and it is not national defense. There is no Constitutional basis for it.

          The Dept. of Ed. has become a propaganda machine. Its Grant’s dollars have been used to coerce states into compliance. This is the exact opposite of States rights.

          • “The Dept. of Ed. has become a propaganda machine. Its Grant’s dollars have been used to coerce states into compliance. This is the exact opposite of States rights.”

            All at the direction of the National Education Association (NEA) the largest labor union and professional interest group in the United States…..

            • yep between “education for all” and “medication for all” (wrote it the way i did for a reason) except for having the right to keep and bear they have it pretty much stitched up. I know here they do except for the few of us who would rather commit copicide than recieve the forced medication they want to start with. Personally i have wanted to dismantle the whole welfare state from when i was no more than 15.

              • From NEA website:
                Through Minority Community Outreach, NEA aspires to strengthen its relationship with current partners and initiate new partnerships and/or projects around education and OTHER ISSUES OF MUTUAL INTEREST.
                NEA has a long history of collaborating with many of these groups. Following are some of NEA’s partners and allies.
                National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National Urban League (NUL), Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), (only a few of the many communist (La Raza) and heavily Socialist leaning organizations who have the ear of the NEA and ASSIST in guiding the education of our children…. Most are anti-gun, many are anti–Constitution, some are just anti-American….

      • FYI
        I believe it was President Jimmy Carter, democrat, who signed the legislation creating the Department of Education. Way back in the 1970s.
        The US Department of Education is the enemy of Education in the United States.

    • Chris,

      First, enthusiastically agree: “Trump, 2020”.

      We can all imagine the furor, the hue-and-cry, if Trump ordered each state to actually and fully support the 2A during the current Covid panic-demic.
      Instead, he chose a low-key approach. I do not like it, I would have preferred a stronger mandate, but, he has his eyes on a much broader problem right now and has, at least, highlighted those states that are unconstitutionally shutting down or severely restricting access to firearms.

      • I would have liked a stronger worded message also. But I think the fence sitters or new gun owners might get the “vapors” and pass out. There are many people who are still very uncomfortable with that kind of power (death) in their hands. It is a responsibility they have never had to even think about.
        Sometimes I think we need to bring them along slowly so they don’t get frightened away.

  3. 50 States that are Sovereign under the Constitution.

    As written,

    The First Amendment addresses Congress and limits them.

    The Second Amendment, by literal reading, limits government at all levels.

    What is written , what was signed.

  4. The designation carries weight, perhaps enough to motivate some stick in the mud sicko democrats to back off their oppressive gun store closings.
    TRUMP/PENCE 2020.

  5. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think I remember an article here badmouthing the NSSF. a week or two ago. Promoting the industry, but throwing the individual pro 2A under the bus. Now they’re the best thing since sliced bread. (Wish I could find some.) I’m confused. Would someone please make up my mind?

    • the derivation lied in the comments.
      i won’t use the offensive f word, but the nssf isn’t exactly keen on you having german built (or any other kind) of semi auto carbines.

  6. The governor of NJ and sheriff of LA County need to understand that the people are not desperate to buy guns right now to hunt, for sport, to fight off foreign troop invasion, or to kill the virus. They’re buying them to fight off two things: rioters, and tyrants. I THINK the governor and sheriff afraid of the second thing.

  7. Tyranical Leftards take it in the short shorts once again and they keep coming back for more,thus the term LefTARD.

  8. It is essential.

    The fear of many ‘first time buyers’ is that the police will become sick as well.

    Non-gun people have realized that they could be on their own. Truly a wake up call I hope they all will remember after this.

    However, my faith in people is somewhat limited and I’m waiting on the time when all these new buyers sell back the icky firearm to the local dealers….should be able to find some deals.

  9. If Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda got together Somethin Might happen. As much as this shows some positive support. It holds no power of enforcement. It means nothing to those. Who refuse to follow them. And No force to back them up. keep Your Powder Dry.

  10. I live in the COMMIE STATE of Ma, I could give a shit what our dick bag Gov. has to say about anything I know what to expect from them. I lived here my whole life I know how to keep ahead of that speeding commie train. f_em all. Be smart and look 3 miles down the road.

  11. How interesting what becomes “critical” when you look at what happens in the real world.

  12. Will this mean that the feds will be able to go after all government officials including but not limited to governors, Sheriff’s and mayor’s among others for their attacks on critical infrastructure?

Comments are closed.