As SHOT Show Heads to Vegas, Here Are Five Reasons Why the Gun Lobby and Gun Industry Are in Big Trouble

Gun Violence Survivors Are in Las Vegas This Weekend Participating in a Previously Planned Everytown Survivor Network Leadership Retreat

This week, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is hosting its annual SHOT Show on the Las Vegas strip. The show is taking place about three miles from the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, which occurred outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in October 2017.

This year’s SHOT Show comes at a time of unprecedented turmoil for the gun lobby, the gun industry, and NSSF itself:

1. Gun sales suffer a Trump slump: According to a new AP report, “the past three years under President Donald Trump have been particularly volatile” for gun sales. The Trump slump has “afflicted almost every corner of the industry, most notably iconic gun manufacturers such as Ruger, Remington and Colt.” Colt suspended production of AR-15s, and Sturm, Ruger and Co. Inc. “reduced its workforce and production” after a drop in sales of about 20% last year. 
2. As gun sales plummet, the NSSF has become increasingly partisan: Late last year, NSSF launched its first major political ad campaign in years. The NSSF has steadily increased its political spending in recent years, the overwhelming majority of which has been directed to Republicans.
3. NSSF’s hypocrisy exposed: Despite claiming to support safe storage, it was revealed last week that the NSSF was advising law enforcement not to give free gun locks to members of Everytown for Gun Safety or Moms Demand Action. As a result, Leesa Ross was denied access to free gun locks by law enforcement. Ross is a member of the Everytown Survivor Network whose son was unintentionally killed in 2009 because a loaded handgun was not stored safely. 
4. The Trump administration officially guts oversight of dangerous downloadable guns: Coinciding with the SHOT Show, the Trump administration finalized a rule today that enables schematics for downloadable guns to be posted online––a move that could empower terrorists, criminals, and domestic abusers to 3-D print their own untraceable weapons.
5. The NRA faces investigations nationwide: Amid allegations of self-dealing and corruption, New York AG Letitia James is investigating whether the NRA violated New York’s charities law; DC AG Karl Racine is investigating the NRA Foundation for suspected violations of nonprofit law; and the organization is locked in various lawsuits with its former ad agency, Ackerman McQueen. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or to request an interview.

Coincidentally, the Everytown Survivor Network is hosting a previously planned leadership retreat in Las Vegas this weekend for its Fellowship program. During the retreat, more than 30 survivors of gun violence will learn, connect, and exchange best practices about sharing their stories and being a part of the movement to end gun violence. It is the first of four such events this year.