NSSF Names Patrick Rothwell Government Relations-Federal Affairs Director

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, has named Patrick J. Rothwell as director, government relations-federal affairs.

Based in NSSF’s new Washington, D.C., federal affairs office, Rothwell’s primary responsibilities will be to manage NSSF’s federal legislative matters and its interests before Congress and to monitor federal legislation and regulations impacting firearms, ammunition, hunting and the shootings sports industry.

This is a new position for NSSF. Rothwell will report to Lawrence G. Keane, who as senior vice president and general counsel heads up NSSF’s government relations efforts.

“Patrick brings knowledge of federal affairs to NSSF gained through hands-on experience working on Capitol Hill,” said Keane. “His years of experience interacting with elected officials inside the Beltway, his understanding of our industry’s issues and being located in the district will provide NSSF and its members with a new and valuable governmental relations asset.”

Rothwell has been chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Louis J. Barletta (R-Penn.) and chief of staff for the U.S. House Republican Policy Committee. He has also been a staff member of former U.S. Reps. Thaddeus G. McCotter and the late Charles W. Norwood DDS. In addition, he was manager, government relations, for Van Scoyoc Associates in Washington, D.C.

Rothwell, who began his career in government as a paid intern for Sen. Mitch McConnell, holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Hobart College.

“To ensure that we found the right candidate to fill this new position, NSSF conducted an extensive search and placed an emphasis on understanding the unique environment of Capitol Hill,” said Deb Kenney, NSSF managing director of human resources and administration. “We believe we’ve found the right fit with Patrick.

Patrick Rothwell can be reached in Washington, D.C., at 202-507-6266 or by email at prothwell@nssf.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 7,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.