Commentary

In equipment categories with sales of more than $1 billion in 2007, the greatest percentage growth in this category came from air guns, which showed a 15% increase to $283.7 million.

A Pennsylvania court sided with NRA and issued a permanent restraining order against two of the city of Philadelphia’s municipal gun control measures enacted in April.

…On Thursday June 5, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued Concealed Carry Permit #1 for a retired investigator. Van Hollen said he hoped other agencies would follow his lead. He said he has told them they have the authority to issue such permits under a four-year-old federal law that makes some of the thousands of retired Wisconsin officers able to carry a concealed weapon.

Senate Bill 184, Ohio’s “Castle Doctrine” legislation, recently passed out of the State Senate by a vote of 25 to 7. This legislation now heads to the governor for his signature.

A Georgia gun dealer facing a lawsuit by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided not to participate in jury selection, which sends the case directly to a federal appeals court and out of U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein’s court.

The Citizens Voice newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Penn., has reported that the operator of the pro-open-carry site paopencarry.org. was detained by police after having his gun confiscated.

A Butler, Missouri, car dealership is offering a free handgun with every purchase of a used car.

Top officials from state and federal wildlife agencies and conservation organizations will be joined by executives from different sectors of the industry in presenting educational workshops, discussion panels and strategic issues impacting the future of the shooting sports and providing stimulus for the development of coordinated solutions.

…The latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted April 23-27 among 1,502 Americans, finds that public attitudes about gun control also have shown little change in recent years.

…In the next few weeks the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide D.C. v. Heller, which concerns whether the District of Columbia's ban on handguns violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The question that the Supreme Court will be answering is whether the Second Amendment actually provides an individual with the right to own a gun or whether it provides the state the ability to form a militia.

…Citty, speaking at a news conference by a coalition of social services, clergy and community groups opposed to gang violence, said he believes in a citizen's right to carry firearms but that too many guns are reaching the hands of gang members.

…Other issues affecting the industry include a rise in domestic-based demand for ammunition, an increased foreign demand of base metals and the daunting task set to the manufacturers to catch-up to the combined demand of the war and law enforcement.