NSSF says hunting participation on the decline, target shooting increasing

By Jacki Billings

The +One movement encourages gun owners to recruit new people into the industry. (Photo: NSSF)
The National Shooting Sports Foundation said hunting participation is down while participation in target shooting is going up. The the gun industry trade association discussed the shift in a seminar titled Industry Data and New Shooter Recruitment held at SHOT Show in Las Vegas in late January.
Speaking on the subject of participation and recruitment, NSSF Director of Research and Market Development Jim Curcuruto told a room packed with SHOT Show attendees ranging from media to manufacturers to gun shop owners that while hunting is on the decline, target shooting is now getting the attention of many gun owners.
“Over the past five years, we’ve been seeing a little bit of an evening out between target shooting and hunting. Hunting is a little bit on the decline while target shooting is on its way up,” Curcuruto said. “It’s good news on the target shooting side of things. As for hunting, we’re working on a lot of initiatives to revitalize and get people out in the field.”
The NSSF reported that while target shooting is an estimated $16.9 billion business, monetarily speaking, hunting still brings in the dough — reportedly

Source: Guns.com