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NEWTOWN, CT.-In a new spirit of unity, the nation^s major manufacturers of firearms, ammunition and related sporting equipment have joined together to deliver a coordinated message of industry responsibility and to challenge vigorously misrepresentations of industry positions and practices.. The creation of a new Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Foundation is the culmination of efforts that began with a May 1998 "Shooting Sports Summit" in Branson, Missouri, continued in October 1998 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and concluded with a two-day meeting last week in Phoenix, Arizona. The new foundation will serve to coordinate policies and practices of existing industry associations, including the American Shooting Sports Council, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers^ Institute. Appointed to head the new group is Robert T. Delfay, a 30-year veteran of industry safety and communications efforts. Delfay currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry^s largest and most diverse trade group. He is also president and chief executive officer of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers^ Institute, the industry^s standards-setting arm. "For too many years," Delfay said, "our industry has allowed itself to be miscast and misrepresented to the American public. We have allowed those on the other side of the issue to relay their message in the absence of our proof of a tradition of safety, quality and responsibility. "The hunting and shooting sports industry in our country has an unparalleled record of responsibility and accomplishment in areas of safety, education and support for conservation," Delfay continued. "Most Americans understand this," he emphasized, citing the results of a recent Roper Starch poll. However, the poll also showed a significant minority of 27% of those polled feel the firearms industry is "less responsible" than others. "This is a concern," Delfay said. "But it is not surprising in light of the relentless drumbeat of anti-firearms and anti-industry voices in our society. It is overdue for the industry to improve communication of its safety accomplishments, support for effective legislation and regulation, and historic contributions to conservation and wildlife management." According to Delfay, the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Foundation will emphasize a number of messages that the industry has long advocated, including: · The industry strongly urges the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) to intensify its efforts to investigate and prosecute illegal gun sales. Industry thinks existing laws that penalize firearms dealers who knowingly sell to unqualified individuals or who knowingly participate in "straw man" transactions should be rigorously enforced. · The industry strongly supports appropriate and thorough background checks of individuals seeking to obtain a Federal Firearms License. Investigations by the BATF should ensure that applicants do not have a criminal record and that their planned businesses will meet with all applicable local, state and federal laws. · The industry strongly urges the entertainment industry to reconsider the production of television programming and films that emphasize-indeed, often glorify and romanticize-firearms as instruments of mayhem and destruction. · The industry cannot over-emphasize the importance of education and secure storage of firearms and ammunition as the key to preventing home accidents, especially among young children. If individuals are not willing to accept certain basic responsibilities and adhere to important rules of firearm ownership and storage, we urge them not to purchase a firearm. · The industry strongly supports firearms-related legislation when such proposals are directed at curbing the criminal misuse or the illegal distribution of firearms. We feel it is equally important that any such legislation also adequately protect the rights of law-abiding citizens. · The industry strongly supports appropriate regulations that govern the sale, purchase and use of its products. Thousands of such regulations at the federal, state and local level currently exist, and the industry cooperates fully with government agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to ensure complete compliance with all applicable regulations, and to help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. One objective of the new group will be improved communications between industry and the National Rifle Association. "It may come as a surprise to many," Delfay said, "but there has been relatively little cooperation or communication between industry and the NRA over the past 20 years. While we will always be two groups with two separate constituencies and may not always be in complete agreement, there are areas of common interest where we can coordinate better and we are committed to that." Recently, NRA President Charlton Heston stated, "For a century the NRA and the firearms industry have thrived independently of each other^s influence. You make firearms, we preserve the right to bear them…But now your fight has become our fight. Your legal threat has become our constitutional threat. What is at stake is not just your livelihood, but liberty." Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, said, "Speaking on behalf of our 3 million members, we welcome this important new initiative by the industry. These are the companies that make the products our members use." Some have suggested that the creation of this new group signals a hard-line, "no compromise" position by industry. "It is unproductive to view this debate within a framework of "compromise" or "no compromise," said Delfay. "Our goal is to open, not close, the door on these issues. We recognize the need for more open and better communication among all concerned. All of us share the same goal of curbing gun violence and reducing accidents. Our objective will be toward finding mutually acceptable solutions to these important concerns."

Uploaded: 7/29/1999