Bass Pro Shops Honored, Named ‘Don’t Lie for the Other Guy’ Corporate Retailer of the Year

  • Shot Show 2019 News
  • NSSF, Retailers Emphasize ‘Don’t Lie for the Other Guy’
Kimber Super Carry Ultra+ in .45 ACP. Larry Whiteley photo

From sunny Las Vegas, the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms industry, is pleased to announce that it has honored Bass Pro Shops as its “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” Corporate Retailer of the Year.

“Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” was formed as a cooperative program between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and NSSF more than 15 years ago to help ATF educate federal firearms licensees to be better able to identify and prevent illegal straw purchases of firearms and to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the crime of purchasing a firearm for someone who cannot legally do so.

The award was presented at the 2019 SHOT University, the premier educational event for firearms retailers held in conjunction with NSSF’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show® (SHOT Show®) Show in Las Vegas.

All Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s stores display “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” point-of-purchase displays and use a program video and printed material to help train employees to better detect and deter straw purchases. This year, Bass Pro Shops hosted press conferences for the launch of “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” campaigns in Memphis and Atlanta, featuring advertising that warns anyone attempting an illegal firearm purchase faces a stiff federal felony penalty of up to 10 years in jail or up to $250,000 in fines.

“We’re proud to partner with the federal government and other industry organizations to promote and enhance safe, responsible firearms ownership,” said Bob Ziehmer, Bass Pro Shops Senior Director of Conservation.

“Bass Pro Shops has demonstrated its leadership in this area of prevention, from corporate policies to the men and women staffing the gun counters. It has trained its staff in the process of identifying potential straw purchases and provides continuing training to aide them to respond appropriately when such situations do occur,” said John McNamara, NSSF Senior Director for Retail and Range Services.

“Bass Pro Shops has made the critical outreach to its customers as well, to send the messages that straw purchases are crimes and that it’s on the lookout to prevent them. These efforts send a very strong message to the customer that they are dealing with a reputable retailer that wants, just as they do, to keep guns out of the wrong hands. That’s an incredibly positive message every retailer should embrace, and Bass Pro Shops is rightfully honored in leading the way in this kind of community outreach,” McNamara added.

To legally purchase a firearm, a person must be able to pass an FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check and fully comply with state and local laws. When a criminal knows he cannot pass this check, he may try to induce a friend or other person to make the purchase on his behalf, which is known as a straw purchase and is a felony.

Learn more about “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” at www.dontlie.org.

About NSSF: 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 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org/.