Learn About The Gun Lobby: The NSSF

What is the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF)?

The gun industry’s primary trade association that represents manufacturers, ammunition companies, gun retailers and ranges.

Why is the NSSF dangerous?

They actively work to block, weaken, and delay gun violence prevention laws, even as gun violence continues to devastate communities.

GUN INDUSTRY POWER COSTS LIVES.

The gun lobby isn’t a single organization. It’s a network of groups that each play a different role, from political advocacy organizations to industry trade associations working to shape laws, public opinion, and the market for firearms.

The most well-known political actor in this network is the National Rifle Association (NRA), which has spent decades influencing elections and pressuring lawmakers. But political power is only one part of the equation.

This toolkit focuses on the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the gun industry’s leading trade association. The NSSF represents gun manufacturers, dealers, and distributors, and its core role is to protect and grow the firearms market.

While the NSSF often presents itself as promoting “safety” and “responsible ownership,” it consistently lobbies against policies that would reduce gun violence and increase accountability across the industry. Its work helps ensure that firearms remain widely accessible and that the industry faces few constraints, even as the consequences are felt in communities across the country.

Together, groups like the NRA and NSSF reinforce one another. Political organizations apply electoral pressure, while industry groups protect profits and expand the market.

The result is a system where industry interests are prioritized, even as gun violence remains the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States.

Understanding the role of the NSSF is key to understanding how that system operates and where it can be challenged.

What is the NSSF?

Understanding the NSSF helps explain why meaningful gun reform is so difficult to pass and who is working to block it.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is the gun industry’s primary trade association. Founded in 1961, it represents firearm manufacturers, dealers, and distributors, and exists to protect and grow the firearms market.

Over time, the NSSF has evolved into one of the most influential forces within the gun lobby. While it often frames its work around “safety” and “education,” its core function is to advocate for the industry’s financial interests.

That includes consistently opposing policies that could reduce gun violence if they are seen as a threat to sales or industry liability, such as:

  • Holding negligent gun manufacturers and sellers accountable
  • Strengthening gun safety laws
  • Limiting access to high-capacity magazines

The NSSF plays a critical role behind the scenes, shaping policy, lobbying lawmakers, and ensuring the industry remains protected, even as the human cost continues to rise.

What is the ‘SHOT Show’?

The SHOT Show, short for the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, is the firearms industry’s largest annual gathering. Hosted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), it brings together gun manufacturers, dealers, distributors, influencers, law enforcement, and elected officials.

While it’s often described as a trade show, the SHOT Show functions as far more than a typical industry event. It is a central hub for the gun industry to showcase products, shape narratives, and strengthen its network of influence.

Lawmakers and their staff are frequently invited to attend events, private meetings, and receptions connected to the SHOT Show. These spaces create opportunities for the industry to:

  • Influence policy conversations outside of public view
  • Lobby decision-makers in informal, unregulated settings
  • Build relationships that can translate into political support

Understanding the SHOT Show helps reveal how industry influence operates behind the scenes, not just through public messaging, but through access, relationships, and sustained pressure.

Why does this matter?

The NSSF doesn’t just represent the gun industry, it helps translate industry money into political influence.

Through direct contributions, affiliated PACs, and broader industry-backed spending, it supports candidates and elected officials who are willing to align with its priorities. In return, those officials often:

  • Block or weaken gun safety reforms
  • Amplify industry talking points
  • Prioritize industry interests over public safety

This dynamic shapes what is politically possible. It narrows the space for meaningful reform, even when there is broad public support for change.

When industry influence drives decision-making, the result is a system where accountability is limited, progress is stalled, and the real costs are borne by communities.

Take action.

Your elected officials are accountable to you, not the gun lobby. Make that clear.

Reach out and urge them to refuse money from gun industry groups and their affiliates. Even a short message helps reinforce that their constituents are paying attention.

You can contact:

Email is one of the fastest ways to speak up. A simple, direct note is enough to put this on their radar. You’ll find a sample template below.

Subject: Please Refuse Gun Lobby Money

Dear [Title and Name],

I’m a constituent from [City/State], writing to urge you to refuse any campaign contributions or support from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and other gun industry groups.

The gun industry has consistently worked to block commonsense safety measures and avoid accountability, even as gun violence continues to devastate communities across the country. Accepting money from these groups raises serious concerns about whose interests are being prioritized.

I’m asking you to reject gun industry funding and to support policies that reflect the safety and well-being of the people you represent.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City/State]

We teamed up with The Good Liars to take you inside the SHOT Show and show what actually happens behind closed doors.

Watch the video and share it with your network to help expose how the gun industry operates.

What Happens Now?

You learned how the NSSF operates and took action to push back.
We’d love to hear how it went. Share your experience, photos, or anything you want us to see.

Tell us how it went!