The Surge in Gun and Ammo Sales Has Created a Boom in Wildlife Conservation Funding | Outdoor Life

[phantom]

The Surge in Gun and Ammo Sales Has Created a Boom in Wildlife Conservation Funding

New gun owners and ammunition panic-buyers have turbo-charged the firearms industry. They’re also helping generate extra money for wildlife habitat, hunter recruitment, and much more

 

By Alex Robinson

Updated: February 15, 2021

A look at the spike in Pittman-Robertson funding since it's inception. Data source: USFWS.Russ Smith

We’re more than 10 months into the largest civilian firearms and ammunition buying surge in American history. More than 8 million people bought a firearm for the first time last year and ammunition from .22LR to .300 Win. Mag. is sold out at stores across the country and backordered for months. When the surge will end is uncertain, but here’s one thing that’s absolute: This will all lead to a boom in conservation and wildlife funding in 2021, and beyond.

And this is probably the greatest untold story of the great gun-buying year of 2020. For every sporting arm and box of ammunition sold, there’s an 11 percent excise tax applied that funds wildlife and habitat conservation initiatives (the tax is also applied to archery equipment). There’s a similar 10 percent excise tax on all handgun sales. Those excise tax dollars are distributed to states specifically for conservation work, hunter education and recruitment, shooting ranges, and wildlife research. In short, the more guns and ammo that get sold, the more available money there will be for conservation work.

[phantom]

Only good thing about people trying to take are gun rights away is it makes people want them even more and others that don't have them start to buy them to . Every cloud has a silver lining . You don't know what you got until someone try's  to take it from you .

Edited February 16, 2021 by phantom

[Four Seasons]

23 minutes ago, phantom said:

Only good thing about people trying to take are gun rights away is it makes people want them even more and others that don't have them start to buy them to . Every cloud has a silver lining . You don't know what you got until someone try's  to take it from you .

Thats True. Wonder if the same will be true when Xbow’s become full time archery equipment and people start buying those? Not the same numbers as guns but more money as long as it goes where it’s earmarked to go. 

[Jeremy K]

I'm sure the government is already trying to get their hands on as much of it as possible for unrelated reasons

[Buckmaster7600]

[mention]Jeremy K [/mention] beat me to it but I won’t be the least bit surprised when joe and the slut slide that money into some bullshit welfare fund. I’m sure there already working on it if they haven’t already done it.


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[Enigma]

Great news! Kind of.

This windfall will get pilfered at the federal level (illegal of course) and what's left passed down to the states. Here's some definitions you need to get used to hearing . . .

"Conservation work" = Creating non hunting sanctuaries and travel corridors in the name of some biodiversity bs.

"Hunter education" = Teaching you how to positively identify game species that will quickly become off limits (bears, mt lions, wolves, etc.)

"Hunter recruitment" = Come hunting! Any weapon, any season in the name of inclusion. We want you to feel safe and comfortable while hunting so look for the "How to deal with antler shaming" self help group coming soon.

"Shooting ranges" = More facilities? Laughable. I'm sure our NYS legislature's first priority w all that new money will be more ranges.

"Wildlife research" = More studies and in time, regulations, brought on by today's pseudoscience and social image driven models of game management.

Hate to be a pessimistic ass but I don't see sportsman and wildlife as benefitting much in the end.