A new report released by the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports and the Outdoor Foundation stated that hunting and target shooting participation has increased in the United States over the past 10 years.

The 2022 Special Report on Hunting and the Shooting Sports provides a comprehensive look at more than 30 million Americans ages 6 and over who participated at least once in hunting or target shooting with both firearms and archery equipment in 2021. The report identifies trends and includes detailed information about participation including motivations, barriers, and preferences of participants.

Council’s Director of Research and Partnerships Swanny Evans said, “We are excited to release this report and believe it will prove valuable in the short and long-term as we evaluate participation trends. It is important to note that this data will not always align with hunting license sale data, but that tracking both sale and survey data go a long way to providing a better overall picture of the trends in hunting and shooting sports participation.” 

Highlights from the new report include: Hunting - 4.6% of the United States population ages 6 and over went hunting at least once; 27% of participants were female, up from 16% a decade ago; share of hunters who were Black or Hispanic increased 4% and 1% respectively, on average for the past 3 years; to obtain food/meat was the number one motivation for hunting; 49% of hunters first participated before the age of 18, and 68% of hunters were introduced to hunting by a family member. 

Firearms Shooting - 6.2% of the United States population ages 6 and over participated in target shooting; 32% of participants were female, up from 25% a decade ago; share of target shooters who were Black or Hispanic increased 5% and 4% respectively, on average for the past 3 years; recreation was the number one motivation for target shooting, and high cost was the number one barrier reported for target shooting.

Archery - 2.4% of the United States population ages 6 and over participated in archery; 39% of participants were female, the highest since 2016; archers are slightly more diverse than firearms target shooters; recreation was the number one motivation for target shooting; 19% of participants shot solely on public property ranges.

To read the full report, visit the council’s website at cahss.org.

NY Attorney General to stop online ammo sales!

An investigation by New York’s Attorney General Letitia James found that 39 ammunition sellers have been selling and shipping ammo to residents of NY in violation of New York’s SAFE ACT, which prohibits direct online sales of ammunition to people in the state of New York. 

The New York attorney general said, “Shipping bullets to New Yorkers doorsteps is illegal and ammunition sellers that ignore the law will face the full force of my office. Online sales of ammunition are dangerous and could end up in the wrong hands.”