NSSF Adds Premium Retailer Membership Category
National Shooting Sports Foundation 08.06.13
Access to Defense Fund Protects FFLs
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has added a new, benefit-laden Premium Retailer Membership.
Designed to offer the best protection and benefits in the industry, the new membership is available to any qualifying retailer member with a Federal Firearms License (FFL) who has been an NSSF member in good standing for at least a year.
At the heart of the program is a defense fund to help retailers protect their business against administrative actions taken by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and judicial proceedings challenging an ATF license revocation. NSSF will offer Premium Retailer Members access to a select list of the industry’s best firearms defense attorneys and pay all related attorney fees in any ATF administrative action such as a warning conference or legal proceeding appealing a license revocation.
“We wanted to create the very best protection plan in the industry,” said Randy Clark, NSSF managing director, business development. “We devised a membership that would provide all the materials and compliance support NSSF could offer while ensuring that in case the FFL, after doing their due diligence in regards to following all ATF regulations, got into a situation where they needed our help, we would be there with funds and attorneys to help defend them.”
Among the benefits available to NSSF Premium Retailer Members are:
- Access to legal defense fund to protect businesses against administrative actions taken by ATF and judicial proceedings challenging ATF license revocation.
- A free site visit upon applying from one of NSSF’s FFL Compliance Consultants, who will conduct a daylong audit of the store. The Compliance Consultant team is composed of retired ATF inspectors with a combined 180 years of experience in the ATF, who have conducted and overseen literally thousands of FFL inspections. The site visit costs $499 for NSSF retailer members, but such a visit is free for Premium Retailer Members.
- Access to a free 24/7 hotline where they can ask compliance questions. If the ATF is in your store conducting an audit, experts would be just a phone call away to provide information on what your rights are during an inspection.
- A copy of NSSF’s Compliance Compendium containing all of NSSF’s books, articles and kits that help a store stay in legal compliance.
- NSSF research materials including the Industry Reference Guide, Financial Benchmarking Report and Firearms Retailer Survey. These reference tools should not only help ensure compliance, but also encourage success and continued growth.
- Several SHOT Show benefits, including a free ticket to SHOT Show University and VIP access.
“Of course, NSSF Premium Retailer Members receive all the benefits of regular retailer membership,” said Patrick Shay, NSSF director of retail development. These include discounted shipping rates with FedEx, discounted installation rates for Celerant POS, discounted rates for Intellicorp background check services, discounted rates for FlashFog security system, discounted rates on PAI credit-card processing system and discounted rates on Display Solutions of Topeka gun cases.
After reviewing the Premium Retailer Membership plan, Joe Keffer, owner of the Sportsman’s Shop in New Holland, Penn., and member of the NSSF Board of Governors, said, “For any retailer, large or small, this membership is a no-brainer. Between the educational materials, access to the best firearms attorneys and other premium benefits, this membership is what many of us have been waiting for.”
Cost for the Premium Retailer Membership is $750 per year. Members that sign up before Dec. 31, 2013, will receive the Premium Membership for all of 2013 and 2014. If you have multiple store locations and would like premium benefits for each one, separate applications must be filled out for each store and dues are required for each individual location.
NSSF retailer members can learn more about the Premium Retailer Membership, including eligibility requirements, at nssf.org/premium.
