Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack named Stephen L. Sanetti, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), to serve on the new Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council (WHHCC). Sanetti is one of 18 people to be appointed to this council, an official advisory group under the Federal Advisory Committee Act that will help to promote and preserve America's hunting heritage for future generations.
“I am deeply honored and thankful to have been named to this council by Secretary Salazar and Secretary Vilsack,” said Sanetti. “I look forward to the great responsibility of representing America's sportsmen and women and helping to secure the successful future of America's hunting heritage while serving on this council. On behalf of the firearms, hunting and shooting industry, I commend Secretary Salazar and Secretary Vilsack for their leadership and vision in forming the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council to do this important work.”
The new council provides a forum for sportsmen and women to advise the federal government on policies related to wildlife and habitat conservation endeavors that benefit recreational hunting and wildlife resources. It also will serve to encourage partnership among the public, the sporting conservation community, the hunting and shooting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, the states, Native American tribes and the federal government.
WHHCC replaces the Sporting Conservation Council by expanding membership to include the hunting and shooting sports industry and broader representation from major hunting organizations. WHHCC's charter more clearly defines its responsibilities in supporting the public, the sporting conservation community, the hunting and shooting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, and state and federal government.
Throughout his tenure as president and CEO of NSSF, Sanetti has achieved unparalleled success leading the 6,000-member trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. Under Sanetti's leadership, NSSF works in close partnership with sportsmen's organizations to support wildlife conservation efforts. In addition, NSSF has taken the lead in developing initiatives that promote the health and educational benefits of outdoor recreation for young people through the expansion of opportunities for youth participation in shooting sports.
A primary function of WHHCC is “fostering communication and coordination” among its various partners. Sanetti said he welcomes the opportunity to represent NSSF and assist WHHCC in achieving this important goal in the “archery, hunting, and/or shooting sports industry” section of the council.
“I look forward to helping WHHCC on issues related to the important contributions that the hunting, shooting sports and firearms industry makes to wildlife conservation and the nation's economy,” said Sanetti. “These industries create over 160,000 full-time jobs, generating an economic benefit of over $20 billion annually.”
Firearms and ammunition manufacturers that NSSF represents are the largest financial supporters of wildlife conservation, having contributed over $3 billion to habitat conservation and wildlife management through excise tax payments since 1991, including approximately $450 million last year. “It is vital that WHHCC remain committed to protecting and promoting these many contributions as our nation recovers from the recession,” said Sanetti, whose perspective and expertise will inform the council's consideration of these issues.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers.
