One of the great blessings of what I do, and the fact I travel for work, means I am often in places where I can check out the local gun stores. I’ll wager many of you reading this have enjoyed a similar experience.

You’ve probably walked into a good gun shop and before you ever bring an item to the counter, you feel at home, like this isn’t just a transaction. It feels like a multi-year relationship, even if it is your first time through that door. That's not an accident, and it's not something an online marketplace or website can fake.

Over the years, I’ve heard plenty of people talk about the distribution chain like it's just boxes moving from Point A to Point B – manufacturer to distributor to retailer to customer. And, while technically true, it jumps right past the fact that wholesale distribution involves a lot of people, talent, and resources. And specifically, this type of thinking dramatically misses the mark on a crucial aspect of the chain… the brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Honestly, retailers are the last, best connection between everything built in our industry and the people we build it for. They're behind the counter when a nervous first-time buyer walks in not knowing a safety from a slide release, taking real time to teach, to fit a gun to a user, to answer every question. You can't put that on a spec sheet or ship it in a box and you certainly can’t get that from an online transaction.

And that's the whole difference, isn't it? We've become a society that wants everything now… two-day shipping, one-click checkout, a box on the porch before we've even thought it through. Technology helps us get things faster than ever. That’s a nice convenience. But fast is not the same as right. Order a gun online and what arrives may or may not match the photo you saw, or the length of pull may simply not work for you. Order a holster and it might not fit your gun, or your body, or the way you carry. Nobody on the other end of that screen has held both in their hands. It's impersonal by design – and when it's wrong, you're boxing it back up and waiting a week or more to find out if the next one fits any better.

Walk into your local shop with that same problem, and somebody looks you over and hands you the right thing the first time – or takes the wrong one back with no problem. Buying local isn't a slogan; it's the difference between hoping you got it right and being pretty darn sure you did.

Folks, here’s the part that ought to keep us up at night: we're losing these gun stores, and not slowly. According to ATF's own commerce data, the number of retail dealers and pawnbrokers licensed to sell firearms has dropped more than 10 percent in just the last five years, with dealer counts falling every single year since 2016. Gun shops that anchored their towns for two or three generations are closing their doors, and once they're gone, they do not come back. Decades of history, ability and expertise walks out with the owner and retires with him. The regulations and the competition with online-only sellers make owning and running a Main Street gun shop exceptionally challenging. And let’s be real, it’s hard to build a sustainable and long-term business on transfer fees alone.

Furthermore, these Main Street businesses are woven into their communities in ways that go past firearms entirely. They sponsor the Little League team. They donate to the fire department's raffle. They show up to the 4-H shoot, hire the local kid for his first job, keep the lights on downtown when half the block's gone dark. When a retailer folds, the town doesn't just lose a place to buy a rifle… it loses jobs, a sponsor, a piece of its identity, and a place to walk in when something needs fixing, fitting, or returning. I suppose to some, this sounds like just nostalgia talking. But it’s my belief this is a serious concern, and all of us should be paying attention.

We are stronger together. This industry needs to stand together. If we keep squeezing margins, keep chasing direct-to-consumer shortcuts, keep treating the local shop like a formality instead of the foundation, then we shouldn't be surprised when it cracks, one shop at a time, until there's nowhere left to walk into.

If we don't protect the retailers, we won't just lose a key part of the sales channel, we will lose the front porch of this whole industry. And once the light goes out, there's no algorithm, no website, and no distributor alive who can easily turn it back on.

As a final note… I wanted to let you all know I’m very much looking forward to seeing you in Phoenix next month. We’ve got a great show planned and I know many of you are making the trip out west. We haven’t been out there with our Expo for quite some time, so I’m hoping this will only be our first trip back. If you have any last minute needs, or have questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

We’re excited to see how you like our new show format, moved up a day for everyone’s convenience and ease of travel, particularly since we’re out west. Keep us posted on what you think. Until then, take care and we’ll see you in Phoenix!

– Kenyon Gleason, President, NASGW

For those who wish to pursue a law enforcement career in Alabama’s great outdoors, an opportunity will soon be available at the University of South Alabama (USA), where the Blankenship Scholars program will award endowments to approximately10 students annually to further their studies and career.

The Blankenship Scholars program is named in honor of Chris Blankenship and family. Blankenship has served as the Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) since he was appointed by Governor Kay Ivey in 2017. However, his career at ADCNR started much earlier as a law enforcement officer with the Alabama Marine Resources Division (MRD). Those roots in enforcement are what prompted the endowment program.

“Without a doubt, Chris Blankenship’s leadership in conservation and natural resources has been unrivaled,” said USA President Jo Bonner. “He has worked tirelessly to implement the governor’s vision to make sure every corner of Alabama benefits from the investments that have been made over the past decade. Clearly, no one is more indebted to Commissioner Blankenship than those of us in south Alabama, where the beautiful Gulf meets the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.

“Just as Chris’s stewardship of our wildlife and marine resources has been exceptional, he has done so much to upgrade and expand our state parks, which will benefit Alabamians for generations to come. It is only appropriate for the University of South Alabama to create the Blankenship Scholars so that our current and future students who want to follow in Chris’s path can do so with this endowment. We are extremely proud to count Chris Blankenship among our more than 100,000 alumni, and we salute him for his tireless and dedicated service to Alabama.”

Commissioner Blankenship, who served as Director of Marine Resources before being promoted to Commissioner, said he is grateful for the recognition but also knows these scholarships will create great pathways for those who want to pursue a conservation-based law enforcement career.

“I’m excited the University of South Alabama would like to create a program where we can train and attract more conservation enforcement officers,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “Our current officers are wonderful, and I am also excited that these scholarships will be able to help us fill those roles with officers that come in with even better enforcement training and conservation knowledge.

“For the university to create a scholarship program that has my name on it is extremely humbling, and I appreciate very much for them to think of me and my family and our contributions over the last 30-plus years.”

During Commissioner Blankenship’s tenure, more than $350 million has been spent on Alabama State Parks to build and improve facilities and expand recreational opportunities. In Alabama, more than 95 percent of the land is in private ownership, but ADCNR and its partners have been able to purchase more than 110,000 acres for public use through various funding methods, including the Forever Wild Land Trust, GoMESA and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement. More than 50 boating access projects have been completed around the state.  Altogether, ADCNR has invested more than $525 million in outdoor recreation improvements while Blankenship has been Commissioner.

“I am very thankful for the work we’ve been able to do that has made the resource and environment better over the last 30-plus years,” he said. “I’m excited to see the next generation of leaders who will follow us.”

Dr. Sean Powers, Director of the USA’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, is very familiar with Commissioner Blankenship’s history at South Alabama, Marine Resources and as Commissioner. Powers collaborated with President Bonner to devise a way to honor Commissioner Blankenship and his family – wife Allyson Tomberlin Blankenship and three children.

“Jo Bonner wanted a way to recognize Chris for his work for the state, particularly in the south Alabama region,” Powers said. “Chris is a South Alabama alum and represented the university so well.”

Powers recalled that Commissioner Blankenship, who had a full President’s scholarship that covered everything from tuition to room and board, started as a physics major and transitioned into political science and criminal justice.

“He went on a ride-along with Marine Resources Enforcement, and he fell in love with it,” Powers said. “He got his degree in political science and criminal justice and then started with Marine Resources Enforcement. Chris has that background. Chris has also basically helped us start the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences at South through the investments the Conservation Department has made through GoMESA and the oil spill funds.”

Powers said what he wants the scholarships to do is train the next generation of conservation enforcement officers, not only Marine Resources but also Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries enforcement and State Lands enforcement. The list continues with Alabama State Parks rangers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers and the U.S. Coast Guard.

“That’s the way I pitched it to the president,” he said. “All the best science, rules and regulations and management schemes in the world don’t mean anything unless we have conservation enforcement officers who are committed to the environment and committed to protecting it.

“Some of the officers have military backgrounds, and some of those positions are becoming more and more competitive. So having our graduates be qualified, where they have the background in political science and criminal justice with training in either marine sciences or environmental sciences, really makes sure we have that pipeline of dedicated Conservation Enforcement Officers.”

Powers said with that extensive training, the officers will be able understand the science behind why there are slot limits and other restrictions on certain species of fish and wildlife.

“If they write a violation, they can explain why they had to do these types of things,” he said. “Chris is really the epitome of a really smart, really committed marine conservation officer. Trying to give students a head start on all those things Chris learned to become the professional he is, that’s the idea.”

Powers said USA is in the middle of a fundraising campaign to raise $1 million to provide 10 competitive scholarships annually that would be available to sophomores through seniors.

“We wanted to create an endowment that will last forever,” he said. “We want really bright students to consider this as a career. The Blankenship Scholars program is inspired by Chris and designed to recognize the legacy of the Blankenship family. This will provide the training to be the next Marine Resources officer, maybe be the next Marine Resources Director or the next Conservation Commissioner.

“Plus, you get to train not only in a marine environment but also land management, forestry, freshwater fishing and hunting. We think it’s a unique program, and who wouldn’t want a job in the outdoors.”

Powers said the university hopes to be able to offer the first Blankenship Scholars endowment in August 2027.

“Being able to provide scholarship money to these students is a very positive thing,” said Commissioner Blankenship, who said the scholarship he received at USA made a big difference in his career path. “Instead of going somewhere else, where I would have had to take a loan to pay for my education, having that scholarship definitely was a deciding factor to attend South, and I was so thankful to receive it. Graduating with no student debt gave me a leg up starting out. I think getting my education at the University of South Alabama is one of the best decisions I’ve made.

“And we’ve continued our relationship with Dr. Powers and the university and the great work they continue to do in marine sciences. It’s exciting, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

USA will announce the University of South Alabama Blankenship Scholars program at a reception to honor Commissioner Blankenship from 5:30-7:30 on September 21 at the Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook in Birmingham.

– David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

GIFFORDS, the national gun control giant founded and led by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), made a big announcement last week letting it be known they are going “all in” on political spending to try to buy congressional seats ahead of the Nov. 3 elections. They’re promising $10 million, with early indicators that there will more — much more — in the next 50 days. The goal is simple: buy more gun control.

“We think that they’ll [advertisements] be impactful. And broadly we intend to use this $10 million that we’ve set aside to define Republicans across the map who have been really weak on this issue, as well as support Democrats who have been strong on it,” Emma Brown, GIFFORD’s executive director, told Semafor in an interview.

The group announced its early plans involve spending $1 million against former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan against Democrat nominee Abdul El-Sayed, $850,000 in an initial advertising buy against Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and $350,000 against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.). GIFFORDS also said its plans include ads in four additional House races, but they’ve yet to make those specifics known.

One thing is crystal clear ahead of November’s elections. The Republican majority margin in the House of Representatives right now is razor thin and it won’t take much for it to flip to Democrat control. The Senate landscape looks like its in reach of flipping for Democrats as well.

Big Spenders

GIFFORDS investment is sizeable, to say the least. They’re hoping they can buy enough seats to force through strict gun control laws in Congress. That would no doubt include trying to reinstate a federal “assault weapons” ban, mandating storage laws on firearms when not in use, implementing a national firearm registration scheme and more. They’ve been pushing these laws for years and their spending habits show it.

The group announced a $10 million political spending spree in 2022, calling it “historic,” with the goal of “mobilizing gun violence prevention voters and support candidates with the courage to act to end gun violence in key states.”

In the last election cycle, 2024, GIFFORDS spent even more, announcing their political spending reached $15 million. That was the year the group also launched its “Gun Owners for Harris/Walz” group in an unsuccessful attempt to “win” support in the presidential election.

And now, with the most recent announcement, GIFFORDS will have spent at least $35 million in the past six years. That’s pushing for their goal of taking away Second Amendment rights from law-abiding Americans, while ignoring any consequences for those criminals who break existing laws to harm innocent lives.

And by the way, all that spending is separate from GIFFORDS’ attempts in 2023 at having supporters designate the group as a beneficiary in their wills as they make end-of-life plans. That’s correct — in a solicitation to the groups’ members, GIFFORDS included a button to click on to designate them as a beneficiary and said that pledges made to Giffords Law Center will protect people and pets in donors’ lives, plan for the distribution of assets and “help hold the gun lobby accountable.”

Hypocritical From the Get-Go

The new advertisements, according to GIFFORDS’ own press release, will “knock Republican candidates as soft on gun crime and warm to the gun industry.” That’s a far stretch in several examples of the elected officials being highlighted by GIFFORDS.

For example, the group labels pro-Second Amendment lawmakers as being “bought and paid for” by gun rights groups and will spend roughly $850,000 against Rep. Kiggans in Virginia. However, over the course of her political career, Rep. Kiggans has only received a grand total of $21,301.06 from groups that support the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

In another example, GIFFORDS — the group that decries politicians being “bought” by outside groups — is spending $350,000 against Rep. Kean, while he has never directly accepted a single dollar from “the gun lobby.”

Lastly, the group announced it will spend at least $1 million against former Rep. Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. His opponent, El-Sayed, proposed stripping the Second Amendment from the U.S. Constitution and is openly supportive of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) platform that includes strict gun control and even a confiscation of private property. All told, in a long career in the U.S. House of Representatives before, former Rep. Rogers only ever received a grand total of $100,000, over several election cycles. GIFFORDS is spending $1 million over 10 days right now.

So, who is really “bought and paid for?”

Fighting Back

Gun owners and Second Amendment supporters across the country cannot be dismissive of the election coming up. It will be a critical “all hands on deck” election that will require voters to get to the polls and make their voices heard.

NSSF’s Protect Liberty Political Action Committee (Protect Liberty PAC) will work to support elected officials in key races where Second Amendment rights and constitutional liberties could be in the balance. This election will matter for the future of gun rights and for more information, visit www.ProtectLibertyPAC.com.

– Larry Keane

Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Would you rather haul a five-pound walleye up from the nearby reservoir on a downrigger or would you rather have the same fish filleted and beer-battered, sending flecks of sizzling grease arcing off the stovetop?

“Yes,” to both is probably any ardent angler’s answer.

You cannot have one without the other, and getting into a boat on a Saturday morning often leads to fish in the skillet.  

But that is not the first step to putting a delectable on the plate. The progression to the skillet starts in of all places, the C-suite office of the tackle manufacturer or importer.  

Every fiscal quarter fishing tackle company accountants and comptrollers, in accordance with the Sport Fish Restoration Act (SFR), cut a federal excise tax check to the U.S. Treasury. Those dollars, coupled with proceeds from fishing license sales, make their way to state fish and wildlife agencies to fund fisheries research and management, aquatic education, and boater and angler access to public waters.

Money changing hands is not the story: it is what’s done with it that makes a difference in the lives of Americans.

Home Field Advantage

Biologists with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources used SFR dollars to learn more about walleye in the southern part of the state to refine management strategies. Through careful collection and analysis of data, their multi-year examination of walleye fry survival to fingerling size revealed that locally sourced walleye have a home field advantage.

Fisheries managers for many years stocked walleye fry in southern Minnesota lakes from an easily accessed, well established broodstock in northern Minnesota.

Cursory studies indicated that the genetically adapted southern-strain appeared to outlive the northern cousins that had been stocked on top of them en masse, spring after spring, year after year.

To suss out a potential course of action, biologists stocked equal numbers of southern-strain and northern-strain walleye fry in six lakes in spring over four years. All walleye fry were marked according to origin. Then in the autumn, biologists returned and collected fingerling walleye to determine survival.

The results were clear: the locally sourced southern Minnesota walleye outlived the northern-strain. The native walleye were better suited to their native habitats.

This walleye research was partly an economics study, too. The biologists calculated and compared costs of using a local source of walleye rather than continuing with the northern-strain as they had been done for decades.

The heavy upfront cost of creating a southern-strain broodstock would ultimately result in long-term savings. Locally sourced walleye are better adapted to their home waters, increasing their chances of surviving the first summer and eventually making it to the livewell, and the skillet. That improved survival could make the investment worthwhile by reducing the need to repeatedly stock fish that are less likely to survive. In turn, those savings could help preserve SFR and fishing license funds for other sport fish conservation needs.

Virginia is for Walleye Lovers

Biologists with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR) also seek to refine walleye management.

Walleye native to the Appalachian region, called Highlands walleye, are genetically different from northern walleye that have been introduced through past stocking efforts. The two strains can interbreed gradually diluting or erasing the unique genetic characteristics that allow native Highlands walleye to thrive in local conditions. Over time, this genetic mixing could make it more difficult to conserve and maintain the native Highlands walleye population.

Using SFR dollars, VDWR biologists are creating a rapid and affordable genetic test to identify walleye with strong Highlands ancestry. From those fish, they intend to create a broodstock for the Appalachian walleye.

Researchers will collect small fin clips from 400 adult walleye in the New and Clinch rivers. Geneticists will use these samples to develop a panel of genetic markers that can distinguish Highlands walleye ancestry from northern walleye ancestry. The VDWR can then use this information to select future broodstock that best represent native Highlands walleye.

By improving broodstock selection, the project will help reduce genetic mixing between introduced and native walleye, protect the genetic integrity of Highlands walleye, and support long-term conservation and restoration of walleye in Virginia.  

These methods and results may also benefit other state fish and wildlife agencies working to manage endemic walleye populations by providing a practical, cost-effective approach for identifying and conserving native fish.

SFR dollars yield a public benefit—advancing fisheries science, generating cost-savings, improving fishing opportunities, and in the case of walleye, putting great-tasting locally sourced food in skillets.  So, would you rather…

— Craig Springer, for the USFWS, Office of Conservation Investment

Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport Hotel, Dallas, Texas

Coalinga Rifle Club in Coalinga, California

Wilson Lake, Florence, Alabama

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona