WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has launched a public awareness campaign to inform Washington, D.C., residents—particularly those now considering purchasing a handgun—about the many educational resources it makes available to firearms owners. The campaign follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision (Washington, D.C., et. al. vs. Heller) reaffirming the Second Amendment as an individual right and ruling the district’s ban on handguns unconstitutional.

The campaign includes full-page advertisements appearing today in the district’s major newspapers—The Washington Post, The Washington Times and The Hill—along with shooting seminars in the metro area, available free of charge, to D.C. residents.

The newspaper ads introduce NSSF as the voice of the firearms industry and encourage D.C. residents to learn more about programs that promote firearm training, safety and proper storage. The ad’s headline reads: “The Supreme Court has upheld your 2nd Amendment rights. Exercise them safely and responsibly.”

To provide D.C. residents with an introduction to handgun ownership, NSSF is working with shooting ranges in Virginia and Maryland that are in close proximity to the metro area to schedule First Shots® seminars, where residents can learn about firearms ownership through classroom and supervised live-fire instruction. The seminars emphasize firearm safety for beginning shooters and cover safe handling and storage of firearms, state and local laws, how to purchase a handgun, where to find help in choosing the best handgun based on individual needs and where to find opportunities for advanced education and training.

In a tele-press conference at 2 pm today announcing the D.C. campaign, NSSF President Steve Sanetti explained the industry’s commitment to safe and responsible firearms ownership and why First Shots, which has provided more than 300 firearm-introduction seminars nationally, is being made available to residents of the nation’s capital. “With growing interest in handgun ownership among men and women across the country, the firearms industry understands that the best way to help ensure its products are used responsibly and safely is to start new gun owners off with a supervised and educational experience,” said Sanetti.

“Now that the law-abiding citizens of Washington, D.C., are able to freely exercise their Second Amendment rights, NSSF’s First Shots seminars are the perfect match for interested residents.”

The first First Shots seminar will be on Sunday, August 24, at the Izaak Walton League range in Centreville, Va., and is open only to D.C. residents, who must register in advance at www.nssf.org/firstshots.

Also at the campaign’s Web site, www.nssf.org/firstshots, D.C. residents can watch a video explaining First Shots seminars, locate and register for a seminar, learn about firearm safety, view “NSSF’s District of Columbia Firearms Owner’s Checklist” and see a copy of the ad.