At a Capitol Hill breakfast briefing, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, released a newly commissioned report detailing the significant economic impact the firearms and ammunition industry has on the nation's and each state's economy.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will distribute more than $862 million to all 50 states, U.S. commonwealths and territories, and the District of Columbia to support hunting, sport-fishing, and fish and wildlife conservation and education programs.

Three new members began terms on the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation's (CSF) Board of Directors January 1. New members of the CSF Board are: Tommy Millner of Cabela's, Steve Sanetti of National Shooting Sports Foundation, and Brad Franklin of Yamaha Motor Corporation USA.

Yesterday, firearms regulations in Washington, D.C. were amended by emergency order. That amending process came in response to a federal suit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation challenging the arbitrary nature of previous regulations enforced in the District.

The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation's Board of Directors recently elected three new members: Tom Hornish, COO of the Outdoor Channel; Melissa Simpson, VP of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at PAC/WEST; and Paul Miller, Chairman of Freedom Group.

The House leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus sent a letter to colleagues requesting co-sponsors for H.R 510, which would change the collection schedule of the firearms and ammunition excise tax (FAET).

Media reports say President-elect Barack Obama has selected Eric Holder as his Attorney General, and that Holder may already have accepted the offer.  Holder, as Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno during the Clinton Administration, said that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right, but instead protects the right to have a firearm when serving with a militia.

The incoming Obama Administration appears to be throwing cold water on job applicants that own firearms. In a questionnaire for potential new employees, question 59 should send shivers up the spines of sportsmen.

Sportsmen have a solid history of voting, with 9 in 10 currently registered to vote and of those 83 percent say they will vote in the November election, according to a new survey by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. Overall, there are an estimated 40 million sportsmen of voting age in the United States.