Dear President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland,

We urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other federal agencies to reevaluate their relationship with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). The NSSF is a well-funded gun lobby group that has contributed to the gun violence crisis in our nation by opposing efforts to enact gun safety legislation or reform industry practices. Specifically, the DOJ and other federal agencies must no longer fund, partner, or co-brand new programs with the NSSF. We also ask that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) no longer hold private briefing and training sessions at NSSF’s annual SHOT SHOW without making their remarks available to the public online.

The NSSF is headquartered three miles from Sandy Hook Elementary School. Since 20 children and six educators were killed by a gunman with an AR-15 in 2012, the NSSF has spent over $29 million to lobby against all common sense gun laws. In fact, the NSSF filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Connecticut for passing Public Act No. 13-3, An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety, in response to the Sandy Hook shooting tragedy.

The NSSF has worked fervently to oppose any and all gun safety measures with no regard for public safety, including legislation that would enact universal background checks, ban high capacity magazines, and require safe storage of firearms in the home. For decades, the NSSF has flown under the radar by forging partnerships with legitimate organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the ATF to mask its any-guns-to-anyone-everywhere agenda. Recently, the NSSF even personally attacked gun violence survivor and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords over her support for background checks, a policy supported by the vast majority of the American public, and criticized the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for urging more research into gun-related issues.

Since the Sandy Hook tragedy nine years ago, over 900,000 Americans have been killed or injured by guns in America - a horrifying statistic that’s only getting worse in recent years. The CDC estimates approximately 45,000 gun deaths in 2020. Gun violence is a public health crisis, and the NSSF has actively worked to undermine federal and state governments who attempt to  pass lifesaving gun laws.

For example, while publicly supporting the enforcement of existing gun laws, the NSSF colluded with the NRA to cripple the ability of the ATF to regulate the gun industry. For more than a decade, the NSSF has worked to block the confirmation of qualified nominees to lead this agency—including President Biden’s recent nominee for the role, David Chipman. The NSSF spent millions on ads to influence senators to vote against Mr. Chipman. In addition, Larry Keane, NSSF’s chief lobbyist, posted a photo of an FBI agent posing in the ruins of the Waco siege falsely suggesting it was Mr Chipman in an attempt to malign Mr. Chipman’s character. As a result, Mr. Chipman and his family received death threats before his nomination was ultimately withdrawn.

At its core, the NSSF is interested in one thing only: fueling profits for the gun industry. That is why when the sales of hunting rifles declined, the NSSF rebranded assault weapons as “Modern Sporting Rifles.” Today, these weapons of war are the weapons of choice for mass shooters. Working closely with the NRA, the NSSF has also taken advantage of the nation’s weak gun laws to allow illegal handguns to flood communities of color. They then use these communities to exploit fear and convince people who live outside of underserved urban areas to arm up against the “bad guys with a gun.” The NSSF also stands with the NRA to support negligent business practices of the U.S. firearm industry that fuels armed conflict in Mexico and other nations.

We urge the Department of Justice, ATF, and other federal agencies to foster a more transparent relationship with the NSSF. We believe this would be a more effective way for the federal government to provide proper oversight over the NSSF and other entities of the gun industry.

Sincerely,

Ban Assault Weapons NOW!

Brady

Chi-Town GVP Summit

Chicago Survivors Org.

Colorado Ceasefire

Colorado Ceasefire Legislative Action

CT Against Gun Violence

Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence

Faith Community of St. Sabina

Georgia Alliance for Social Justice

Giffords

Grandmothers Against Gun Violence - Cape Cod

HB Huddle

Honor with Action Coalition

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH&EPIDEMIOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER

Iowans for Gun Safety

Journey4ward

Jr Newtown Action Alliance

March For Our Lives

Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought

Mother’s United Against Violence

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Network to Prevent Gun Violence in the Americas

Newtown Action Alliance

NoRA

Orange Ribbons For Gun Safety

People for a Safer Society

Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence

Prevent Gun Violence Florida, Inc.

Remembering Darien

Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence

Sacred Ground Ministries

San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA

Survivors Empowered

Survivors Lead

The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus

The ENOUGH Campaign

The Episcopal Church in Connecticut

The Ethan Miller Song Foundation

Violence Policy Center

Vision Quilt

WAVE Educational Fund

We the People for Sensible Gun Laws