Historically, the NSSF has cultivated close—though sometimes controversial—relationships with state and national parks systems. Last year, NSSF Director of Public Relations Patrick Rothwell lobbied in support of the Sportsman’s Act of 2012, which included a number of provisions regarding conservation of public lands, access and fees for hunters, and a clause that would have exempted ammunition from regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency. Ecologists objected, saying the lead bullets and chemicals in gunpowder are dangerous to certain habitats. Faced with opposition on both budgetary and environmental grounds, the bill ultimately failed.

The NSSF hasn’t always been at odds with the EPA. In 1970, when the nation celebrated the very first Earth Day and Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency by executive order, the NSSF began to lobby Congress to enact a National Hunting and Fishing Day, which promoted the notion of hunter as conservationist. Two years later, when Nixon signed the proclamation of National Hunting and Fishing Day, he urged “all citizens to join with our outdoor sportsmen in the wise use of our natural resources and in insuring the proper management for the benefit of future generations.” This PR for the gun industry came at a good time—the number of gun homicides in the U.S. had more than doubled over the course of the preceding decade.

This year, with gun deaths expected to exceed 31,000, and with the public more acutely aware of every tragic shooting, the NSSF managed to grab some positive headlines for a gesture of political compromise. During the senate hearings in the confirmation of B. Todd Jones to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the NSSF issued an open letter, endorsing President Obama’s nominee. A close reading reveals that the statement of support is hardly a ringing endorsement: “Undoubtedly, we will disagree with the ATF from time-to-time and are fully prepared to take the steps necessary to represent the interest of our industry members, but we are confident that under Mr. Jones we can agree to disagree with ATF in a mutually respectful manner.” However lukewarm, the letter was a surprising development—together with the NRA, the NSSF had pressured legislators to block every previous nominee for the ATF directorship since 2006. But under the threat of the “nuclear option” to change filibuster rules, Senate leaders had already agreed to confirm all of Obama’s appointments this summer. With Jones’s appointment a foregone conclusion, the main effect of the NSSF endorsement was to soften the headlines that would have otherwise prevailed (i.e. “ATF director finally confirmed after seven years of gun lobby resistance”).

Whenever the public image of the gun industry has faced scrutiny, the NSSF has countered with a positive message about guns. In addition to PR campaigns emphasizing the economic and environmental impact of their industry, they’ve also extolled the merits of hunting and shooting as a family and youth activity. Their Families Afield program aims to eliminate state minimum age requirements so that parents can take even young children hunting, which they say is “one of the safest recreational activities enjoyed by families in the United States.”