HAVA Hosts 10th Annual
Clays For Heroes Event
Early September, HAVA hosted six veterans for a two-day shotgun training
and sporting clays event using shotguns donated by Mossberg.
Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) recently hosted six veterans from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at a two-day shotgun training and sporting clays event, Clays for Heroes.
Three soldiers, two Marines and one sailor enjoyed special time away from the hospital and medical appointments at the Rochester-Brooks Gun Club in Rush, N.Y. The six veterans spent the first day with three champion shooters/coaches. The second day was a full sporting clays course.
“Clays for Heroes was started by Ashley Butcher 10 years ago, when she was a teenager, and is truly impressive. Now, HAVA is proud to know the Butcher family, and is appreciative of their commitment to providing a fun event for veterans to attend,” said Tom Taylor, HAVA’s board chairman and executive director.
“We started the event as a way to raise funds to help veterans. We are so happy the veterans from Walter Reed (were) able to participate. That they can be here and take part means so much to all of us,” said Ashley Butcher, Clays for Heroes founder.
Butcher, her parents and a group of volunteers have organized 10 consecutive Clays for Heroes events for veterans at the gun club so far.
“We are ever so grateful to Rochester-Brooks Gun Club for providing a venue for this event. Their sporting clays course is phenomenal,” said John Butcher, Ashley’s father.
“HAVA is supported by many outstanding organizations in the shooting sports industry, but today I want to say a special thanks to Mossberg for the shotguns they donated for veterans to shoot at HAVA events. They will see a lot of action,” said Steve Macdonald, HAVA’s coordinator for Clays for Heroes.
HAVA held a trap and pheasant-hunting shoot for veterans in October at the Buffalo Butte Ranch in Gregory, S.D. The organization plans to host another group of veterans for duck and goose hunting in December. A goose hunt in January will be the first of HAVA’s events in 2022, with more shooting/hunting events to follow.
Celerant Technology Partners With ClearSale
Celerant Technology has announced a partnership and integration with ClearSale.
Available for Celerant’s eCommerce platform, ClearSale offers complete online fraud protection. The application is easy to install, and empowers dealers to automatically detect suspicious transactions, prevent fraudulent chargebacks and approve more online sales.
“ClearSale provides protection for over 4,000 businesses worldwide, and we are excited to expand our footprint by integrating with Celerant’s eCommerce web platform,” said Denise Purtzer, VP of partnerships and alliances at ClearSale. “Now Celerant’s customers can take advantage of ClearSale to provide an even better consumer experience by approving more orders, and only declining the orders that are truly fraudulent.”
Through Celerant’s integration with ClearSale, any order placed on Celerant eCommerce is automatically captured by the ClearSale application. ClearSale’s proprietary technology looks for common fraud by analyzing the customer’s order, device information, behavioral and historical data, data from external sources and more.
Celerant’s two eCommerce platforms, Cumulus and Stratus, integrate with ClearSale. Both solutions integrate with Celerant’s FFL point of sale, Curbside Pickup app, email marketing tool, mobile app (coming soon) and third-party marketplaces, enabling dealers to expand their businesses and manage all channels as one.
“As online shopping continues to climb, firearm dealers are seeing more fraudulent orders for scopes, optics and other accessories,” stated Zeke Hamdani, director of web services at Celerant Technology. “ClearSale not only detects these fraudulent orders, but they allow more ‘good’ orders to go through, while offering a deeper analysis on suspicious orders.”
NSSF Develops Social Media Share Center
The NSSF has launched a Share Center online learning hub featuring a growing library of easily shareable facts about critical firearm-related topics. The Share Center is an effort by NSSF to correct misinformation and misconceptions about the firearm industry and gun owners.
The Share Center includes infographics that link to social media platforms, and options for learning more about each topic.
“The Share Center enables individuals to learn and grow in their understanding of gun issues and the importance of the firearm industry to America, including the millions of people who choose to own firearms for protection, recreational shooting and hunting,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF president and CEO. “Each self-contained fact sheet acts as a building block for well-informed learning.”
Share Center visitors currently have access to shareable graphics covering safety, modern sporting rifles, background checks, 3D printed firearms and conservation, with more topics coming.
Firearms dealers and consumers may send an email to socialmedia@nssf.org to suggest additional topics.
“We encourage firearm industry members and gun owners to spread this important information, especially with those who are less familiar with firearms and the industry’s efforts toward firearm safety,” Bartozzi added.
Orchid Launches Retail POS, eCommerce
Orchid LLC announced the public launch of Orchid POS and Orchid eCommerce options to assist firearm dealers with FFL technology, payments and compliance services. The new offerings are integrated with Orchid eBound, Orchid Pay and 4473 Cloud to offer FFLs an all-in-one software solution.
“Orchid POS solves a common problem among firearm dealers. Rather than juggle multiple vendors, our POS system is capable of doing it all. Retailers can now easily manage inventory, market and sell to consumers online, create gunsmith work orders and digitally store 4473s all from their register, and with the aid of the leading compliance firm and firearm-friendly merchant processing,” said Shaun Phelan, Orchid VP of sales and marketing.
Orchid POS is a cloud-based platform, eliminating the need for costly hardware and maintenance fees some providers of eCommerce charge. Built on a touchscreen interface, Orchid POS presents retailers with customer profiles and product hot keys for easy checkout, in addition to its other features.
Dealers utilizing Orchid POS can market to and attract customers with loyalty programs, CRM email marketing and access to expansive product databases from leading distributors. For maximum security, Orchid POS ATF compliance technology and Orchid eBound are backed by attorneys at its partner firm, FFL Law.
With Orchid eCommerce, gun stores also can take their brick-and-mortar retail business online with an SEO-customized website and storefront and further enhance the customer experience with live distributor inventories and product drop-shipping.
“Orchid POS is the culmination of extensive development and testing efforts with trusted partners and clients. We designed our POS for individual, multi-store and mobile firearm retailers, and we’ve successfully worked with over 25 beta testers ranging from startups to FFLs processing $15 million in annual firearm sales to road test our new flagship product,” said Orchid CEO Jon Rydberg.
“As part of our launch, we’ve also committed to join 100% of our client base with NASGW SCOPE to drive a stronger firearm supply chain from manufacturer to consumer. We look forward to sharing more on this partnership soon,” Rydberg added.
Orchid also offers turnkey integration with the AmmoReady platform and its partner services.
Honoring the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’s enshrinement,
Iron Valley Supply Co. has announced a limited-edition Colt 1911 pistol.
Iron Valley Supply Commemorates Tomb Of Unknown Soldier Centennial
Iron Valley Supply Co. announced a limited-edition Colt 1911 pistol and challenge coin in commemoration of the Centennial of the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The commemorative Colt 1911 pays tribute to one of America’s most cherished memorials, and those who guard it — the Tomb Guard Platoon.
The Tomb Of the Unknown Soldier was enshrined Nov. 11, 1921 at Arlington National Cemetery, when the first honored “unknown soldier” from World War I — selected in France and relocated back to the U.S. — was interred at the memorial site.
Tomb Guard platoon sentinels stand at the Tomb, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They are chosen from the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as the Old Guard.
“The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is pleased to partner with Iron Valley Supply Co. in commemorating the Centennial of one of America’s most sacred memorials. It is an honor for those of us chosen to serve in the Tomb Guard platoon to keep their memory alive and their sacrifice eternal,” said Gavin McIlvenna, president of the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and a former first relief commander (1997–98).
“The 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier offers a stark reminder of the untold sacrifices our Armed Forces faced throughout our history. We recognize the unwavering passion and commitment of the Tomb Guards in keeping the history and memory of those Americans, whose lives were lost in unmarked graves across the globe,” said Brent Wouters, CEO of Iron Valley Supply Co.
The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier provides essential supplies and support for the Tomb Guard platoon. The society also provides scholarships, education to the public, recognizes past and current Tomb Guards for exemplary service and upholds the memory of former Tomb Guards.
The customized Colt 1911 .45-caliber pistol and challenge coin are available exclusively through Iron Valley Supply Co. dealers. The commemorative pistols will be engraved with special serial numbers ranging from TOTUS-001 through TOTUS-500, and will be shipped with a Centennial Challenge Coin.
To honor the centennial and provide support for the Tomb Guard, Iron Valley Supply donated serial number TOTUS-100 — a special-edition, gold-inlaid Colt 1911 pistol — to the Society for their Nov.13 auction this year.
ArachniGRIP Launches New Website
ArachniGRIP, creator and manufacturer of the Slide Spider adhesive slide grip, has launched an upgraded website for its customers.
ArachniGRIP’s new website incorporates a more aesthetic look with features users will appreciate, including new graphics and better descriptions of products. The site layout is easier to navigate, and allows for a faster and more efficient checkout process. The company also is utilizing enhanced SEO (search engine optimization) to better connect potential clients with the site.
“We’re excited to have the new website live and ready to serve our customers. We hope these updates and changes will give consumers a better shopping experience with us,” said Bob Biedenbach, ArachniGRIP co-founder.
The Slide Spider grip by ArachniGRIP is available for most semi-auto pistols. It is easy to install and extremely durable. The Slide Spider enables shooters to increase their control through a safe and secure hold on the pistol.
In addition, the grip offers other tactical advantages in challenging conditions, and even aids shooters with weakened hand strength.
Blackhawk T-Series L3D
Niedersachsen Police Adopts Blackhawk T-Series L3D Holsters
Blackhawk has announced its German distributor, Helmut Hofmann, has been awarded a contract from the Niedersachsen Police Department in Germany for new duty holsters from Blackhawk’s T-Series holster line. The Niedersachsen Police Department, which includes the entire Lower Saxony state police, selected the Blackhawk T-Series L3D as its new service holster as part of the full agency conversion from a competitive brand.
“We’re honored our T-Series holster has been selected by the Niedersachsen Police. This agency, along with multiple other European allies, have been strong advocates of our products and we are proud to support these men and women with a holster designed to meet the highest standards for performance and reliability,” said JD Dulaney, Blackhawk VP and GM.
The Niedersachsen Police, comprised of 8,000 sworn officers, becomes the second-largest European contract for Blackhawk T-Series L3D holsters following the recent French Army win. The full-department conversion calls for the thumb-operated Level 3 Duty (L3D) T-Series to accommodate the agency’s issued Heckler & Koch SFP9 service pistols as part of a multi-year framework agreement.
Springfield Armory CEO Dennis Reese (left) and LOPD Chief Gary Launderville
with one of the XD-M Elite OSP pistols donated to the Lake Ozark PD.
Springfield Armory Outfits Missouri PD
Springfield Armory announced the donation of guns and equipment to the Lake Ozark Police Dept. in Missouri.
Spearheaded by Springfield Armory CEO Dennis Reese, the donation equips every officer of the Lake Ozark PD with the gear necessary to ensure they can effectively perform their duties to protect its citizens.
Dennis Reese and his wife, Jane, have longtime connections to the area, and are deeply involved in the development of the historic Bagnell Dam Strip — known as “The Strip” to most.
“Lake of the Ozarks is a very important place to my family. My wife, Jane, and I raised our kids here during the summers and throughout much of the off-season, so the area has a lot of great memories for us. We wanted to do our part giving back to the area, helping to protect The Strip for families to enjoy. When we found out the Lake Ozark Police Dept. needed support, it was a no-brainer Springfield Armory could be a solution,” said Reese.
Springfield Armory provided pistols from the 9mm XD-M Elite OSP family to the department. Accompanying the pistols were Springfield Armory’s HEX Dragonfly red dot optics. Additionally, the company donated Dara Holster systems capable of accepting the pistols with the optics installed.
The Lake Ozark PD also acquired two SAINT Victor B5 5.56mm rifles equipped with HEX Dragonfly red dot optics from Springfield Armory.
“When the Reese family learned our department was looking to replace its current firearms, Dennis Reese reached out to me immediately,” said Lake Ozark’s Chief of Police Gary Launderville. “Our current firearms were nearly 15 years old and in need of replacement, but we did not have the budget to accomplish this. Mr. Reese determined what we needed and made it happen. He has been awesome.”
AAC Reorganizes Under New Ownership
Advanced Armament Co. (formerly Corp.), a leader in firearm sound suppression since 1994, announced a major organizational relaunch and restructure of its premium suppressor brand.
JJE Capital Holdings, which owns several brands in the shooting and outdoor industries, recently purchased Advanced Armament (AAC), with the mission to strengthen the brand and reaffirm its dedication to customer support.
The new owners say AAC’s loyal customers can expect continued advancement of its suppressor technology, customer service and innovation in the military, law enforcement and civilian markets.
To maintain brand continuity under the newly established brand, AAC will be staffed with a deep bench of suppressor- industry professionals and AAC alumni, including Senior Program Manager Ben Bachmeier.
“We are fortunate to have acquired the former Advanced Armament Corp. intellectual property and brand name. This has given us the opportunity to start fresh with people who have been involved with and passionate about this brand for a long time, including myself. It is my intention to take care of the people who have, over the years, helped propel the AAC brand to its leading position in the industry,” said Bachmeier.
The new AAC will provide service and repair of all legacy suppressors from the Advanced Armament Corp. brand, and will provide a lifetime warranty for all new suppressors manufactured under the current Advanced Armament Co. brand.
As part of the brand relaunch, AAC plans to update its website, and will open a new customer service center at its corporate and operational headquarters in Huntsville, Ala.
“The consumer is our main focus, whether it is servicing current AAC products already in the field or developing new products based on what our customers need for their specific professional, competitive or recreational shooting endeavors. And to our existing customers, we want to say AAC hears you, and we are going to do everything we can to take care of you, now and into the future,” Bachmeier added.
ALPS OutdoorZ Hunting Mentor Pledge Support Grows
ALPS OutdoorZ, manufacturer of extreme-duty hunting packs and other gear for hunters, announced the continuing success of the company’s Save the Lifestyle (hunting) Mentor Pledge initiative, with a 78% jump in membership over the past year.
ALPS OutdoorZ runs its Save the Lifestyle program in cooperation with conservation organization partners Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF).
Participants, avid hunters all, fully embrace the hunting lifestyle they seek to pass on by mentoring first-time youth and adult hunters.
Shooting sports enthusiasts are the key financial supporters of habitat and game conservation efforts throughout the country.
Save the Lifestyle’s year-over-year numbers also show an increase in female hunting mentors, underscoring the trend of more women participating in shooting and hunting activities. Participation in the program for fiscal year 2021 grew by 577 submissions, covering participants from 46 states and Canada.
“Most sportsmen and women had somebody introduce them to the hunting community. Unfortunately, there are thousands of other interested people who would love to experience wild places and learn outdoor skills, but they don’t have access to quality mentors,” said Colby Kerber, PF’s and QF’s Hunting Heritage program manager.
“It is the friendships and family bonds created through outdoor experiences that build lasting memories and strengthen our communities,” said Adam Brune, ALPS product design manager. “I encourage all hunters to share their love of the outdoors with someone new in order to keep our hunting heritage strong for years to come.”
The ALPS brand family of companies includes ALPS Mountaineering, ALPS OutdoorZ, Cedar Ridge, Browning Camping and Hunting Blinds.
Hi-Point Model 995 FLG
MKS Supply/Strassell’s Machine Offers Hydro Dip Service
MKS Supply, marketer and exclusive distributor for BarnauL Ammunition, Full Forge Gear and firearms brands Hi-Point Firearms and Inland Manufacturing, has teamed with Mid-Ohio Hydrographics to further expand its hydrographic decorating services to more hunting and shooting industry manufacturers.
Custom finishes — from the smallest accessories to firearms, bows and larger outdoor gear — are increasingly employed to satisfy customer demands and to help distinguish brands in crowded product categories, and custom hydrographic coatings are one of the most durable, economical and impactful ways to add a special touch to any product.
Mid-Ohio Hydrographics currently provides custom and production-level hydrographic and custom-color coating services across the outdoor and shooting segments, including firearms, grips and stocks, game calls and more. The company’s high-volume capacity and proprietary automated systems ensure fast turnaround and accommodation for the largest orders.
SCI, TTHA Finalize Transaction
Safari Club International (SCI), a leader in defending the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide, has completed its transaction to acquire Texas Trophy Hunters Association, Texas’ leading organization for promoting, protecting, and preserving the state’s hunting heritage for future generations.
Founded in 1975, TTHA will continue to operate independently as Texas Trophy Hunters Association with its members and corporate partners maintaining their full benefits.
“This acquisition is part of SCI’s strategic plan to enhance its ability to help protect the freedom to hunt worldwide. This expansion seeks to strengthen SCI’s advocacy for hunters while also defeating efforts by anti-hunters to deny everyone the freedom to hunt,” said SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin.
“With SCI’s resources and status in the world, hunters in Texas and elsewhere will benefit from this transaction,” said Christina Pittman, TTHA CEO. “Combining these two dynamic organizations will strengthen the entire hunting community, which will help save hunting for future generations and result in even more effective wildlife conservation.”
/ ttha.com
