The Gun Industry

CLAIM:

A Closer Look at the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the Front Group for the gun industry.

  • The NSSF isn’t as well known as the NRA, but as this report details, it shares many of the same goals, is just as extreme, and exacerbates our gun violence epidemic.
  • SHOT Show symbolizes how far removed the gun industry is from the real-world consequences of its deadly products and how they are sold.
  • The NSSF Opposes Commonsense Gun Safety Measures on Every Front
  • The NSSF Supports the Proliferation of Increasingly Dangerous Weapons
  • The NSSF has also allowed ghost gun makers and sellers to exhibit at the SHOT Show alongside the ATF
  • The NSSF Promotes Gun Sales No Matter the Cost
  • The NSSF and Its Members Spread Far-Right Conspiracy Theories and Fuel Culture Wars
  • The NSSF’s “Real Solutions” Are Merely a Start When it Comes to Solving Real Problems
  • Is the NSSF Maintaining a Secret Gun Registry?
  • Like the Gun Industry as a Whole, the NSSF Needs Greater Accountability

REBUTTAL:

Everytown for Gun Safety’s report attempts to paint the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) as an extreme lobbying group that enables gun violence. However, this report is riddled with misleading claims, selective data, and logical inconsistencies. Below is a detailed rebuttal addressing the falsehoods, omissions, and flawed reasoning presented in Everytown’s narrative.

1. The NSSF Is a Trade Association, Not a “Front Group”

The report repeatedly tries to frame the NSSF as a secretive “front group” for the firearms industry. However, this is misleading:

🔹 The NSSF is a legitimate trade association, just like any other industry association (e.g., the National Automobile Dealers Association, the American Petroleum Institute, or the Aerospace Industries Association).

🔹 Trade associations exist to advocate for the industries they represent. They lobby for policies that benefit their members, promote best practices, and provide resources for businesses. This is not unique to the firearms industry.

🔹 The NSSF does not sell firearms, nor does it regulate how they are sold. It simply represents manufacturers, retailers, and ranges, just as the automotive industry represents car manufacturers, dealers, and mechanics.

Comparison to Other Industries

  • The American Beverage Association lobbies against soda taxes. Does that mean they promote obesity?
  • The American Trucking Associations lobbies against certain environmental regulations. Does that mean they want more pollution?
  • Trade associations do not directly cause negative externalities of their industries.

The entire premise of the report—that the NSSF is responsible for gun crimes because it represents the firearms industry—is a logical fallacy.

2. The SHOT Show Is a Trade Event, Not a “Secret Gathering”

The report portrays the SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show) as a shadowy meeting where the gun industry plots against public safety.

🔹 The SHOT Show is a standard trade show, just like any other industry convention (e.g., CES for technology, SEMA for automobiles, or the NRA Annual Meetings).

🔹 The event is closed to the general public because it is for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, law enforcement, and military buyers.

🔹 Claim: The SHOT Show ignores gun deaths while celebrating record-breaking sales.

  • Reality: The firearms industry is legally and constitutionally protected—just like every other consumer goods industry.
  • Firearms ownership increased significantly during the pandemic due to rising concerns over public safety, riots, and defunding of police, not because of industry promotion.

🔹 Claim: The industry remains silent about gun deaths.

  • Reality: The NSSF has created and funded numerous safety initiatives, including:
    • Project ChildSafe (which provides millions of free gun locks).
    • Operation Secure Store (which promotes theft prevention).
    • Don’t Lie for the Other Guy (which educates retailers on how to prevent illegal straw purchases).
  • Everytown deliberately ignores these safety programs because it does not fit their narrative.

3. The NSSF’s Role in Lobbying Is No Different from Any Other Trade Organization

The report attacks the NSSF for lobbying against gun control measures, but lobbying is a fundamental part of a free democracy.

🔹 The NSSF supports the Second Amendment and fights against unconstitutional restrictions—just like other industry groups protect their respective interests.

🔹 Claim: The NSSF opposes “commonsense” gun laws.

  • Reality: Many so-called “commonsense” laws are ineffective, unenforceable, or unconstitutional.
  • The NSSF supports enforcing existing laws, rather than creating ineffective new ones that only affect law-abiding gun owners.

🔹 Claim: The NSSF opposed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

  • Reality: The law contained vague and problematic provisions. The NSSF actually worked with Congress to modify the bill to better protect lawful gun owners while ensuring criminals are punished.

🔹 Claim: The NSSF opposes background checks.

  • Reality: Background checks are already required for all retail gun purchases.
  • The NSSF opposes universal background checks because they require a federal gun registry, which could lead to unconstitutional gun confiscation.

4. Everytown Misrepresents the NSSF’s Position on Firearm Safety

🔹 Claim: The NSSF markets firearms to children.

  • Reality: The NSSF supports youth shooting sports, which teach responsible firearm handling—just as other industries support youth engagement in their fields (e.g., junior drag racing, hunting, and archery).
  • Firearms are not the leading cause of child deaths. This claim misclassifies gang-related teenage violence as “child deaths.” The majority of youth gun deaths occur in urban crime settings—not in law-abiding homes where firearms are stored properly.

🔹 Claim: The NSSF opposes safe storage laws.

  • Reality: The NSSF provides millions of free gun locks and encourages safe storage.
  • What they oppose are mandatory one-size-fits-all storage laws that criminalize responsible gun owners and prevent them from defending themselves.

🔹 Claim: The NSSF downplays ghost guns and auto sears.

  • Reality: The vast majority of criminals do not use homemade or modified firearms.
  • Illegal firearm modifications are already against federal law, and manufacturers cannot control what criminals do with their products any more than Ford can control what someone does with a stolen truck.

5. Everytown Misleads Readers About the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA)

🔹 Claim: The PLCAA gives gun makers “immunity” from lawsuits.

  • Reality: The PLCAA prevents frivolous lawsuits attempting to hold gun manufacturers responsible for criminal acts committed by third parties.
  • Gun companies can still be sued for defective products, criminal misconduct, and illegal sales.
  • If gun makers were liable for gun crimes, should Ford be held liable for DUI deaths? Should knife makers be responsible for stabbings?

6. Everytown’s Report Ignores Criminal Responsibility

Throughout the entire report, Everytown blames gun manufacturers for crimes committed by individuals. However:

🔹 The vast majority of guns used in crimes are stolen, obtained illegally, or acquired through straw purchases.
🔹 Gang-related violence, drug trafficking, and mental health crises drive gun crime—not legal firearm purchases.
🔹 Cities with the strictest gun laws (e.g., Chicago, Baltimore, and New York) still have rampant gun violence because criminals ignore gun laws.

7. The NSSF Fights Against Gun Confiscation and Government Overreach

🔹 Everytown attempts to discredit the NSSF by labeling them as extreme for opposing gun control, but defending the Second Amendment is not extremism.
🔹 The real “extreme” position is advocating for policies that disarm law-abiding citizens while failing to prosecute actual criminals.

Conclusion: Everytown’s Report Is Misleading and Politically Motivated

Everytown’s attack on the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is nothing more than a smear campaign designed to undermine the firearms industry. The report fails to acknowledge criminal responsibility, misrepresents facts, and ignores the real drivers of gun violence.

Final Verdict:

✅ The NSSF is a legitimate trade organization—not a shadowy conspiracy.
✅ The SHOT Show is a normal industry event—not a secret cabal.
✅ The firearms industry is already heavily regulated.
✅ Gun manufacturers are not responsible for criminal misuse of firearms.
✅ The real issue is crime, not legal gun ownership.

Everytown’s biased and misleading arguments collapse under scrutiny.