National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) Steve Sanetti opened a 2014 SHOT Show press conference by mentioning that while everyone knows gun sales are generating wealth on Wall Street and main street alike, few know that “billions of dollars are pumped into the U.S. economy every year through target shooting.”
Literature passed around during the press conference details what kind of money is in view.
For example, 2011 sales related to “all target shooting” totaled $9,947,946,881. That money comes from about 20 million Americans who spend money on target shooting every year.
In short, target shooters spend close to ten billion dollars a year, $8.2 billion of which is spent on equipment. Of that money for equipment, 48 percent is spent on firearms, fourteen percent is spent on ammunition, and five percent is spent on shooting accessories, among other things.
Concealed Carry courses and associated training figures are included in target shooting’s contribution to the economy as well.
Moreover, the number of jobs tied to target shooting and hunting exceeds those provided by McDonald’s and IBM combined.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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