Guns and the market
The National Shooting Sports Foundation:
Hunting, Shooting Gear Tops Golf in Sales
Fore! Sportsmen and women are playing through.
Hunting- and shooting-related equipment has out-driven golf in sales, according to data released by the National Sporting Goods Association.
New statistics show that hunting gear and firearm sales topped $3.7 billion in 2006, up 4.1 percent from the previous year. Only exercise equipment performed better, with sales of $5.22 billion, according to NSGA’s most recent “Sporting Goods Market” report. Golf equipment, which claimed the No. 2 spot the previous year, fell into the third spot with $3.66 billion in sales.
“These statistics not only further demonstrate the willingness of America’s 40 million hunters and shooters to spend big bucks to enjoy their lifestyles, but also show our industry’s success in continuing to develop new products to meet their needs,” said Doug Painter, president of the firearm industry’s trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Shh, don’t tell anti-gunners or the press as it doesn’t fit the narrative of the declining gun culture.
