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| Newtown gun organisation pushes ahead with Las Vegas 'Shot Show' | Newtown gun organisation pushes ahead with Las Vegas 'Shot Show' |
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| Among the guests at Thursday's White House meeting between vice president Joe Biden and leading gun industry figures is Steve Sanetti, CEO of the premier trade association for firearms makers and dealers, the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Ahead of the meeting he said that he welcomed being part of a "full national conversation" on how to improve the "protection of our children from future violence". | Among the guests at Thursday's White House meeting between vice president Joe Biden and leading gun industry figures is Steve Sanetti, CEO of the premier trade association for firearms makers and dealers, the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Ahead of the meeting he said that he welcomed being part of a "full national conversation" on how to improve the "protection of our children from future violence". |
| But 2,400 miles to the west, in Las Vegas, Sanetti's staff at the NSSF was busily putting the finishing touches to preparations for the largest trade show of new guns and ammunition in the land. "Shot Show", opening next Tuesday, is run by the NSSF under the logo "Too Good to Miss". Its 630,000 square feet of floor space will host 1,600 gun vendors, displaying some of the most powerful weaponry available for purchase. | But 2,400 miles to the west, in Las Vegas, Sanetti's staff at the NSSF was busily putting the finishing touches to preparations for the largest trade show of new guns and ammunition in the land. "Shot Show", opening next Tuesday, is run by the NSSF under the logo "Too Good to Miss". Its 630,000 square feet of floor space will host 1,600 gun vendors, displaying some of the most powerful weaponry available for purchase. |
| Many gun shows around the US have chosen to postpone or limit their events in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on 14 December in which 20 young children and six staff were killed. But the NSSF has decided to go ahead with its annual gun cornucopia, with no apparent changes to its exhibitor list or to the range of firearms on display. | Many gun shows around the US have chosen to postpone or limit their events in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on 14 December in which 20 young children and six staff were killed. But the NSSF has decided to go ahead with its annual gun cornucopia, with no apparent changes to its exhibitor list or to the range of firearms on display. |
| The foundation's decision to stand firm in the face of a nationwide wave of revulsion to last month's bloody events is all the more striking given that the organisation's headquarters are located in Newtown, just three miles from Sandy Hook school where the carnage occurred. The gun group has so far declined to make any public comment on the incident other than to express its condolences to victims' families. | The foundation's decision to stand firm in the face of a nationwide wave of revulsion to last month's bloody events is all the more striking given that the organisation's headquarters are located in Newtown, just three miles from Sandy Hook school where the carnage occurred. The gun group has so far declined to make any public comment on the incident other than to express its condolences to victims' families. |
| The only evident change that the NSSF has made to its plans for next week's Shot Show is to close the door to media outlets wishing to report on the exhibition in light of the current debate on gun controls. When the Guardian applied for media accreditation for the show, the NSSF declined to grant it, saying it wanted to ensure "that our exhibitors, who have invested significant time, energy and budget to exhibit their products at our trade show and the attendees who travel far at significant expense to attend the exhibition, are able to interact and discuss business opportunities without undue distractions we feel will be occasioned by an unusually large media presence at this year's show". | The only evident change that the NSSF has made to its plans for next week's Shot Show is to close the door to media outlets wishing to report on the exhibition in light of the current debate on gun controls. When the Guardian applied for media accreditation for the show, the NSSF declined to grant it, saying it wanted to ensure "that our exhibitors, who have invested significant time, energy and budget to exhibit their products at our trade show and the attendees who travel far at significant expense to attend the exhibition, are able to interact and discuss business opportunities without undue distractions we feel will be occasioned by an unusually large media presence at this year's show". |
| Josh Sugarmann, director of the gun-control group the Violence Policy Center, said that the decision to restrict media access to the Shot Show in the wake of Newtown was a reflection of the NSSF's desire to keep Americans ill-informed about the modern firearms business. "The public doesn't understand that with just a credit card and a good record, anybody can build an army in modern America." | Josh Sugarmann, director of the gun-control group the Violence Policy Center, said that the decision to restrict media access to the Shot Show in the wake of Newtown was a reflection of the NSSF's desire to keep Americans ill-informed about the modern firearms business. "The public doesn't understand that with just a credit card and a good record, anybody can build an army in modern America." |
| Among the manufacturers proffering their wares at the Shot Show will be Bushmaster Firearms International, the largest US commercial manufacturer of the AR-15, the military-style semiautomatic rifles that were restricted by a federal ban until 2004 but since then have been freely available in gun stores across the country. | Among the manufacturers proffering their wares at the Shot Show will be Bushmaster Firearms International, the largest US commercial manufacturer of the AR-15, the military-style semiautomatic rifles that were restricted by a federal ban until 2004 but since then have been freely available in gun stores across the country. |
| At last year's Shot Show, Bushmaster displayed several military-style assault weapons. Though the guns fire only one shot with each pull of the trigger, unlike fully automatic weapons that are prohibited, they are essentially modelled on war-field firearms and can be equipped with high-capacity magazines capable of unloading at high speed. | At last year's Shot Show, Bushmaster displayed several military-style assault weapons. Though the guns fire only one shot with each pull of the trigger, unlike fully automatic weapons that are prohibited, they are essentially modelled on war-field firearms and can be equipped with high-capacity magazines capable of unloading at high speed. |
| A .223-calibre Bushmaster was the gun used by the Newtown shooter to kill his multiple victims. The deadly speed at which the weapon can be manipulated was underlined by the fact that the Newtown shooter carried out his massacre in under 10 minutes. | A .223-calibre Bushmaster was the gun used by the Newtown shooter to kill his multiple victims. The deadly speed at which the weapon can be manipulated was underlined by the fact that the Newtown shooter carried out his massacre in under 10 minutes. |
| The Guardian asked Bushmaster why it remained on the list of exhibitors at the Shot Show despite the heightened sensitivity towards assault rifles post-Newtown, but received no reply. | The Guardian asked Bushmaster why it remained on the list of exhibitors at the Shot Show despite the heightened sensitivity towards assault rifles post-Newtown, but received no reply. |
| The controversial nature of this year's NSSF gun show is highlighted by the floor plan of the exhibition. Bushmaster will be appearing at stand number 14229 under the Remington Arms label. | The controversial nature of this year's NSSF gun show is highlighted by the floor plan of the exhibition. Bushmaster will be appearing at stand number 14229 under the Remington Arms label. |
| In the adjacent stand, 13731, will be Smith & Wesson, whose M&P15 assault rifle was used in the 20 July 2012 cinema mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, in which 12 people died. Directly opposite Bushmaster is the stand of the National Rifle Association, the country's most powerful gun lobby whose response to Newtown was a proposal that armed guards be placed outside every school. | In the adjacent stand, 13731, will be Smith & Wesson, whose M&P15 assault rifle was used in the 20 July 2012 cinema mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, in which 12 people died. Directly opposite Bushmaster is the stand of the National Rifle Association, the country's most powerful gun lobby whose response to Newtown was a proposal that armed guards be placed outside every school. |
| The NSSF has been at the forefront of attempts to sweeten the image of assault rifles. Under Sanetti's leadership, the foundation has launched a campaign to rebrand AR-15s of the kind used at Newtown from their essentially military origins to a new designation as "modern sporting rifles". The campaign's jingle is: "Phones have changed since grandpa got his, so have hunting rifles". | The NSSF has been at the forefront of attempts to sweeten the image of assault rifles. Under Sanetti's leadership, the foundation has launched a campaign to rebrand AR-15s of the kind used at Newtown from their essentially military origins to a new designation as "modern sporting rifles". The campaign's jingle is: "Phones have changed since grandpa got his, so have hunting rifles". |
| The NSSF has produced a five-minute video that lauds the virtues of AR semi-automatic rifles. "The semi-automatic action significantly reduces felt recoil, making fast follow-up shots more accurate," the narration says. | The NSSF has produced a five-minute video that lauds the virtues of AR semi-automatic rifles. "The semi-automatic action significantly reduces felt recoil, making fast follow-up shots more accurate," the narration says. |
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