In another big week for gun news, here are the highlights in this week's Second Scoop, hosted by Chris Cheng:

1. Moms Demand Action tries to start a boycott of Kroger grocery stores after Kroger rejects MDA's demand to ban conceal carry in their stores. MDA will fail.
2. Country singer Tim McGraw is in hot water for headlining a concert for anti-gun group Sandy Hook Promise.
3. Smith & Wesson reports that gun sales are up, a surprise for Wall Street.
4. An Uber driver with a CCW in Chicago, Illinois saves many by taking down crazed gunman
5. Billy Johnson's "Protecting Liberty" Kickstarter campaign. 

Hear all about these stories in this week's episode of The Second Scoop. 

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Time to saddle up and get ready for the week!

My friends over at Powderhook.com have posted a really insightful entry on how technology can help the future of outdoor life, the shooting sports, and the Second Amendment. It's quite a good read and I hope you'll take a few minutes to learn what they have to share.

====

TECHNOLOGY IMPERATIVES FOR THE FUTURE OF HUNTING, FISHING AND SHOOTING

“A simpler, more open and transparent way of doing business across our industry is the only way we can ensure the future of our way of life.” – Eric Dinger, co-founder and CEO, Powderhook

In a little under two years of work on the access problem, Powderhook has gained several important insights. Included in this story are five things we’ve learned and a call to action for the hunting, fishing and shooting industry. Examples from other industries are provided as a means to rationalize each argument. It is our hope this post can serve as a springboard for new ideas and better solutions.

INTRODUCTION

Powderhook’s mission is Access for All. That means access for new hunters, anglers and shooters; for parents and their children; for neighbors who haven’t been out in the field for years; and for you. Powderhook works with the nation’s leading conservation organizations, retailers and manufacturers, bringing our industry together to solve some of its most important problems. We’re building a one-stop shop, like “Expedia for the Outdoors.”

It could be said that Powderhook is one of the nerdiest outdoor companies. Our team of 7 technical individuals employs a skill-set somewhat unique to the outdoor industry. We build software solutions for the challenges we believe are most integral to the future of our way of life. Our platform is used to create, market, find and acquire access.

When we first started Powderhook, we understood our mission to mean the average person needs a place to hunt, free or paid. Thus, we built one of the most complete data repositories for huntable and fishable lands information, both public and private, ever created. Our data come from upwards of 17 sources, and we have over 650,000 places to go. Very few organizations have ever built a lands database as far-reaching and comprehensive. This data can be viewed, free of charge, by visiting www.powderhook.com/map.

Over time, we have come to understand the access problem at a much deeper level. By speaking to hundreds of people on both the “have access” and “need access” sides of the equation, we have gained several important insights. In keeping with our values, we’ve decided to share these well-earned lessons with the industry.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED

Most days, people aren’t looking for places to hunt or fish. One day they might be looking for a tournament in which to fish; they may be interested in attending an NWTF banquet; or they might just want to find a range to sight in their rifle. The access problem is bigger and more complicated than simply finding someone a spot. For that reason we introduced group, event and trip management functionality.

To present our user an accurate picture of what they could do outdoors in their area, we started to think of our business as a social marketplace. We began to build a one-stop place to find groups, events, spots and trips for the hunter, shooter and angler.

In adopting this wider agenda, we have encountered several challenges we believe the industry must solve to propel itself forward. These problems are larger than what any company or single organization can change. They are as endemic and deeply rooted as their solutions are imperative. Challenging as they may be, they are also exacerbated by a generation of consumers, the future of our industry, who will, almost exclusively, purchase through their phone and have a low tolerance for inconvenience.

The key insights presented below represent, in our view, a cultural shift in thinking for our industry. For the future of our way of life, we must collectively adopt a simpler, more open and transparent way of doing business.

The Industry Must Create a Marketable Commodity Out of “Access”

Have you ever wondered why it’s so easy to book a hotel room? You can book the same hotel room across dozens of websites. Knowing that, have you ever really asked yourself why it’s so hard to find a duck blind to sit in, a place to hang your deer stand, or the upcoming 3-gun competitions in your area? The fundamental underlying issue is our industry lacks a standard tradable good — an inventory, like a room-night for hotels.

To continue reading, head over to the Powerhook blog...

http://blog.powderhook.com/2015/04/15/technology-imperatives-for-the-future-of-hunting-fishing-and-shooting/

If you haven't heard about the recent controversy in Michigan with a small business owner who refuses to repair cars for openly gay people, but will give discounts to gun owners, check it out.

It's made national headlines and Guns.com quoted me for the pro-LGBT side of things and how I believe it's wrong to discriminate, regardless of your rationale. This is America, where we can agree to disagree and not push people away through discrimination. We learn through interaction and engagement, and as the owner is a proud Christian, I would encourage him to embrace the idea that Jesus loved everyone and was accepting of man and all his flaws. 

It's quite an interesting controversy where the 1st, 2nd, and 14th Amendments are all involved. 

What are your thoughts on all of this? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Full article: http://www.guns.com/2015/04/16/michigan-auto-shop-offers-discounts-for-gun-owners-bans-gays/

Check out this great article with 20 pistol shooting tips from top shooters in the industry. I talked about one of my favorite exercises, and there are many other great ones here.

Practice, practice, practice!

http://blog.topspecus.com/pistol-shooting-tips/

I'm finally back home in San Francisco after being away for 3.5 weeks. I just came in from Nashville, Tennessee last night from the NRA Annual Meeting and I had an amazing time. I'll put up a blog post about the show later this week.

In this week's episode of The Second Scoop, I chat about the attendance record as well as Mom's Demand Action failed and sad attempt at a protest. The NSSF is also putting on a major anti-straw purchasing media blitz through it's "Don't Lie for the Other Guy" campaign here in California as well as New Jersey and Delaware.

I discuss the recent shooting at Wayne Community College in North Carolina (side note, this may have been an LGBT hate crime- we'll see how that story continues to develop) and how if the school hadn't been a gun free zone that perhaps the victim could have had a chance to defend himself from the crazy guy who killed him.

Finally, I compiled a bunch of clips of the GOP presidential hopefuls who spoke at the NRA Annual Meeting. Hear what they have to say about our Second Amendment rights. 

The NRA Annual Meetings are coming up this Friday-Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee and the show is a great time. It's free for NRA members and you can sign up on the spot if you aren't already a member. You can sign up through my discount link here which gives you $10 off for a one-year membership, the total cost comes to $25.

I'll be doing daily "Shoot to Win" book signings and offering a 20% NRA Show discount where my book will be $20 for NRA Show attendees. Here's my schedule:

Friday/Saturday/Sunday

- 11AM-Noon: TUFF Products Booth #2743
- 1-2PM: FrogLube Booth #124

I look forward to seeing you in Nashville!