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FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2025

- APPAREL -
TUO is on the forefront of progressive merino-wear for hunters and general outdoor enthusiasts as evidenced by the new Kinetic Merino 150 Hoodie and Kinetic Merino 350 Hoodie.
- CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE -
The next mandatory chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling weekend for all of Lauderdale, Colbert and Franklin counties (Alabama) has been postponed due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for next weekend, January 18-19, 2025.
- COMPETITION -
Team MDT's own Francis Colon came out on top and got to hoist the cup up high, adding his name to the list of 5 before him as the 2024 AG Cup Champion. For his accomplishment, he earned a $20,000 cheque and an additional $5,000 for winning five stages.
- CONSERVATION -
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation collaborated with a private landowner and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire and convey 2,496 acres of wildlife and riparian habitat to expand the Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Idaho.
- EVENTS -
In a joint effort to address concerns and reports of increased deer pressure on agriculture crops across the state, a joint town hall meeting was held on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show to discuss crop damage caused by deer and other wildlife.

X-Vision Optics announced its participation in the Mid-States Trade Show, the home of Farm and Ranch, taking place January 15–17, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Visit X-Vision Optics at booth #838 to discover a trusted product line for all professionals.
Vudoo Gun Works is exhibiting at the Dallas Safari Club Convention from January 9–12, 2025, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, Booth #4872.
- FISHERIES -
There are currently 35 state catch-and-keep angling records, 38 state catch-and-release records, 24 state spearfishing records, six state setline records and three state archery records in Utah. You can view all the state fishing records on the DWR website.
- GEAR -
Hunters can now build their ideal glassing kit with the GlassPak Pro thanks to seven new GlassPak Pro accessories. Featuring the same quick, one-handed operation, and DWR treated exterior as the GlassPak Pro, these new accessories put all your must-have gear at your fingertips.

- GRANTS -
Indiana Grown, the state’s only agricultural marketing initiative, has announced seven members received a total of $25,000 in grant funding to promote their products at trade shows nationwide.
- HUNTING -
The Michigan State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, in partnership with Waterloo Wings and Water, presents this event for new adult hunters to learn to hunt late-season geese.
By order of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission, the hunting of female mountain lions will close in hunting districts (HD) 102 and 124 on Friday, Jan. 10, at one-half hour after sunset.
Learn about trapping with the National Wild Turkey Federation and partners from Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers during this weekend for new adult trappers. Trapping basics and hands-on experience with trap setting and checking, furbearer processing and fur handling will be covered. The species of focus will be muskrat and raccoon.

- INDUSTRY -
Elite Force is pleased to announce it will begin distributing E&L Airsoft products in the United States.
Primary Arms Optics announced the transfer of Alex Steier to the role of Senior Manager of International Sales. A seasoned professional with a proven track record in product marketing, Alex’s experience, dedication, and expertise have already made him an essential asset to the success of Primary Arms Optics.
Federal Ammunition announces many new shotshell ammunition options for 2025. Two all-new ammunition product lines, Master Class and Upland Paper, will be launched in 2025. Additionally, product line extensions will be added to the Black Cloud, Heavyweight TSS, HEVI-Bismuth, Hi-Bird Fiber Wad, Gold Medal Paper, and Ultra Steel lineups.
- LITIGATION -
The U.S. Supreme Court has distributed a third Second Amendment Foundation case, B&L Productions v. Newsom, for conference on Friday, Jan. 24. The case challenges California’s statutes which ban gun shows on state-owned property.

- MEDIA -
Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network and MyOutdoorTV dropped a fresh lineup of expert lifestyle and adventure series over the holiday break offering a robust schedule of fresh content across all platforms.
- NEW PRODUCTS -
Yankee Hill Machine announced the debut of the VICTRA-12, a new modular sound suppressor designed for 12-gauge shotguns.VICTRA-12 production models will be available in late Q1 2025. Demo models will be on display at YHM’s SHOT Show booth #20521.
SK Guns® announces an exclusive collaboration with Phoenix Trinity Manufacturing. The two companies have partnered to create the Sidekick, a double-stack, commander-sized 2011 pistol designed for concealed carry.
Silencer Central announced that the BANISH Backcountry suppressor is the official suppressor for Federal Premium’s exciting new 7mm Backcountry cartridge. Federal used the BANISH silencer exclusively during testing of the impressive new round.

- ORGANIZATIONS -
Registration is now open for the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s 2025 Junior Rifle Camps. These popular three-position camps are excellent tools in developing youth athlete strengths within the physical and mental aspects of the sport while refining trouble areas that may need more attention.
- POWERSPORTS -
Grab your friends and ride 6,000-plus miles of DNR-designated snowmobile trails, public roads and public lands (where authorized) on two back-to-back days during Michigan's Free Snowmobiling Weekend, Jan. 17-19.
- PRODUCT NEWS -
Tisas USA, and an SDS Arms brand, is building upon their release of the 1911 Duty and Carry models for 2025. A 4.25” (Carry) and 5” (Duty) hammer forged barrels are still standard, but new for this year on the Tisas 1911 Duty and Carry models is a 193 Picatinny Rail, an extended slide stop and 1/3 fiber optic front sight (co-witness).
- RANGES -
NSSF® has awarded the Texas Gun Club in Stafford its coveted Five-Star rating for range excellence. Five stars is the highest rating in NSSF’s star-rating system, which evaluates shooting facilities based on appearance, management and shooting sports development and amenities.
- SHOT SHOW -
Legacy Sports International will be showcasing its 2025 lineup of new and exciting products from their popular brands HOWA , POINTER , CITADEL and SCSA at SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas, NV January 21 thru 24, 2025.
RCBS will be showcasing their popular line of handloading products in a new booth and location at this year’s SHOT Show. RCBS Booth #13846 will feature RCBS’s new products launching in 2025 as well as all the reloading mainstays.
Winchester Safes announced a star-studded lineup of Brand Ambassador appearances at Booth #12028 during the 2025 NSSF SHOT Show in Las Vegas, January 21-24. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet some of the most recognized names in hunting, adventure, and shooting sports, with 2025 SHOT Show Limited-Edition Winchester Safes hats available.
- SHOW SHOW -
Bullistic Barriers has introduced a new bullet and crash resistant barricade that makes it easy and cost-effective for municipalities to deploy robust protection quickly. They will be featuring this product at the NSSF SHOT Show, in Las Vegas January 21-24, 2025.
- SPONSORSHIPS -
Texas Trophy Hunters Association (TTHA) will host the highly anticipated Outdoors Extravaganza in January 2025 and welcomes the renewed sponsorship of Alpha Innovations.
- STATE AGENCIES -
Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry named Riley Peck as the new director for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, effective Monday, Jan. 13.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking applicants to fill volunteer positions on the Region 7 Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) in southeast Montana.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Angi Bruce has issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) decision not to delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) grizzly bear. Management of the GYE grizzly bear will remain under federal control.
- STATES -
The City of Billings (City) is proposing to dredge the water treatment plant (WTP) primary raw water intake, identified as Intake #1. The purpose of the proposed project is to maintain the main water intake for the City of Billings in the event of future flood events.
- TELEVISION -
Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network and MyOutdoorTV dropped a fresh lineup of expert lifestyle and adventure series over the holiday break offering a robust schedule of fresh content across all platforms.
Waypoint TV announces the launch of Silver Kings Season 9 and Sail Kings Season 2. These highly anticipated series deliver epic fishing adventures and captivating storytelling that will resonate with anglers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
 

Steven Dettelbach’s resignation as director of the ATF didn’t exactly shock anyone who’s been paying attention since the November elections. It’s likely he wanted to keep the job, but chose to resign before he could be unceremoniously fired by the incoming Trump administration. To them, Dettelbach represents a politically correct bureaucrat who had little desire to push back against “lawfare” -especially when it came to enforcing the Biden administration’s “zero tolerance” policy against FFL holders.

Don’t know the director, and he may be a fine guy, but he’s never been accused of being even-handed when it came to dealing with the industry the ATF is charged with overseeing. In fact, he’s been a perfect match for the outgoing occupant of the Oval Office.

Neither have been a bit reluctant to make their feelings known about guns, gun owners, or gun dealers.

Now, there’s an unanswered question: who’s the likely replacement?

There are names being bandied around, including one being endorsed by several companies in the industry.

But I’ve been told the ATF slot isn’t a front-burner issue for an administration still filling cabinet slots. In fact, I’ve been told point-blank proclaiming anyone “the front runner” for the slot would be premature.

Regardless, Washington, and the industry are already abuzz with interest - and proffered candidates. One group of industry “names” having gone so far as to have authored a letter endorsing their choice.

For most, the ATF is one of those agencies that operates behind the scenes. Unfortunately, for the agency, it frequently manages to push itself center stage. And usually for some reason they’d rather have avoided.

The unusually direct actions taken against gun dealers for “crimes” that were for the most part errors in paperwork pop to mind first. But you don’t need to go back far to find what I call “rubber ruler rulings” - like the on-again/off-again arm brace classification and attempts to re-classify both 80% firearm receivers and parts kits as “firearms”. Their record in defending those ill-formed interpretations looks strangely like the “0-fers” in sporting events.

With the Supreme Court’s 2024 Chevron Decision, the heady bureaucratic days of interpreting deliberately vague laws from Congress may be waning, especially in light of the Department of Governmental Efficiency being championed by President-Elect Trump and headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

That’s not to say Chevron will eliminate every example of bureaucratic overreach or the DOGE eliminate inefficiencies. Both, whatever their end results, will likely lead to delays in legislation. Asking Congress to actually say what a law will do and how that work will be done is a sea change. And the inevitable bureaucratic challenges to DOGE will likely lead to courtroom drama, redrawing of nebulous regulations and slower implementation processes.

But the selection of the director of any federal agency is subject to confirmation hearings and a ton of backstage politicking.

Director Dettelbach’s farewell to the industry came this week in the form of the ATF’s Volume IV of the National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment: Protecting America from Trafficked Firearms: NFCTA Updates, New Analysis and Policy Recommendations. The title pretty much foreshadows the report.

The Director’s Foreword lays out items Dettelbach says demonstrates the major threats to the citizenry. Number one on his list? Privately made firearms (PMFs). From 2017 and 2023, the report reads, the number of PMFs “reported to have recovered in crimes increased almost 1,600 percent.” “Nearly 1,700,” it continues, “were associated with homicide-related offenses and more than 4,000 associated with violent crimes.” Interestingly enough, the report also points out a growing incidence of former police guns being used in crimes. The solution to that one, Dettelbach suggests, would be a reexamination of the idea of disposal of LE guns rather than releasing them back into circulation.

All interesting material, but most interesting -at least to me- was the ATF’s list of top ten pistol exports for 2016-2023. With an eye-popping 49.7 percent of the US export market from 2016-2023, there’s little reason to wonder why SIG Sauer is regarded as the big force

Table FC-11: Top Ten Manufacturers of Pistol Exports, 2016 – 2023
Manufacturer Parent Entity / Number of Pistols / % of total

Sig Sauer Inc: 1,036,915 (49.7%)
Glock Inc: 590,612 (28.3%)
Smith & Wesson Corp: 152,503 (7.3%)
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc: 73,633 (3.5%)
Beretta USA Corp: 45,723 (2.2%)
Taurus Intl / Diamondback / Rossi / Heritage / Braztech: 45,564 (2.2%)
Springfield, Inc: 27,701 (1.3%)
CZ / Colt / Dan Wesson: 16,067 (0.8%)
Kimber Manufacturing Inc: 13,925 (0.7%)
Kel-Tec: 8,196 (0.4%)
Total for Top 10: 2,010,839 (96.4%)
Total for All Others: 76,216 (3.6%)

Conversely, the top 10 countries importing pistols into the United States were: Austria, Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Turkey, Czechia, Italy, Philippines, Argentina and Israel. You can look at the list and pick out your favorite brands. You also see why the competition between Glock and SIG is quiet, but fierce.

There are innumerable data points in the lengthy report. You can see them for yourself here.

The final recommendations to the report point to the standard talking point of the Dettelbach tenure. Guns should be harder to get. That could be accomplished should:

  1. Law Enforcement Agencies Further Evaluate the Discretionary Resale of Firearms
  2. Expansion of the ATF’s eTrace and National Integrated Ballistic Information Network use to all LEAs
  3. Prevent firearms trafficking to persons prohibited from purchasing and possessing firearms,

Interestingly, the idea of enforcing existing laws rather than expanding systems was third on the list of suggestions.

We’ll keep you posted.

— Jim Shepherd

 
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