After Governor Andrew Cuomo railroaded the Draconian “Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013” through both houses of New York legislature in Albany—in which the oppressive bill wasn’t even allowed the normal legislative comment and inspection period—many wondered when Kahr Arms would make a move. We received our answer today. Kahr Arms, which also includes Auto-Ordnance and Magnum Research, will be “expanding its corporate offices and engineering department into Pike County, Pa., which is about an hour-and-a-half west of its current location in Pearl River, N.Y. Kahr is buying 620 acres from the Pike County Industrial Park Development Group/Business Development Corporation. The site is near Scranton, and construction is said to start as early as this year. Both Kahr’s manufacturing plants—one in Worchester, Mass., and the other in Pillager, Minn.—are working at full capacity and are not included in the move, although Kahr plans to eventually expand manufacturing to the Pennsylvania site.

Often NRA members will suggest that if every one of us signed up just one new member, we could double NRA’s size overnight. How about signing up more than 16,000? And not just Annual members but Life members? In just seven weeks, from early February to the end of March, outdoor personality and nationally syndicated radio show host Tom Gresham signed up 16,630 NRA Life members.

In case you hadn’t noticed, we are in the midst of an ammunition, primer and propellant shortage. Stories are making both local and national news, and rumors abound on the Internet. I understand there have been large Federal contracts, but those cannot come close to explaining the increased demand for ammunition and components. There is more than a billion—that’s billion with a “B”—rounds of .22 Long Rifle produced in this country every year. One estimate puts it at closer to a billion and a half. The DHS has not bought a billion and a half rounds of .22 LR, so it cannot be pinned on them. Also, it is unlikely to me that Janet Napolitano is trying to corner the world market on Hodgdon Varget, even though it is one of my favorite go-to powders.

While you are at the NRA Annual Meetings in Houston, Texas, I encourage you to take a break from the show floor and attend two special events. Noted sniping authority Maj. John L. Plaster, U.S. Army (Ret.), and historian Martin K.A. Morgan are onboard for two American Rifleman Special Sessions of tremendous interest to NRA members. On Saturday, Plaster will be the speaker at “Civil War Sharpshooters,” discussing the sharpshooters and their arms from America’s bloodiest conflict 150 years ago. The author of the practical The Ultimate Sniper, Plaster is a fantastic and dynamic speaker and is also one of the leading historians on the subject and the author of The History of Sniping & Sharpshooting.