An Interview With NSSF’s Mark Oliva

Posted on: Mar 16, 2026

Join POMA member John Petrolino, The Pen Patriot®, as he interviews National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Managing Director of Public Affairs Mark Oliva.

Last month Oliva and Petrolino connected via Zoom and discussed a number of topics. The main focus was looking at SHOT Show® 2026 as it found itself in the rearview mirror. Other topics Petrolino and Oliva talked about were the state of the Foundation and industry, as well as a call for increased funding to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. What? Yes. (Tune in to hear why.)

“We're a trade association, just like any other trade association,” Oliva explained. “The easiest way for people to think about this is think of the gun counter as the dividing line. We work for everything to be able to make sure that that gun can get to the counter so you can buy it.”

What about the next SHOT Show®? “For those people who talk about SHOT Show and then get excited for it, and I want you to stay excited,” Oliva teased, “I'm telling you, the planning has already begun for next year's show.”

You can check out a video of the Mark Oliva interview HERE.

This interview originally ran on YouTube and editorial based on it was chronicled over at Bearing Arms.

About John Petrolino:

John Petrolino is an award-winning freelance journalist who covers the Second Amendment and is a proud member of POMA. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, a 501(c)(4) Second Amendment advocacy group. In 2020 Petrolino released his book, “Decoding Firearms.” His work is primarily published at Bearing Arms, Shooting News Weekly, AmmoLand News, and News2A. Petrolino owns and operates The Square Reviews, a product and travel review site.