The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) just released their annual Firearm Ownership & Sport Shooting Participation in the U.S. report with stats from 2022. And while the mainstream media and anti-gunners would try to argue that gun rights groups and pro-freedom politicians are out of touch with the desires of mainstream America, the report revealed that is anything but the case. Indeed, the report reveals a sizable 24.1 percent growth of adult participation in sport shooting in America between 2009 to 2022. Surveys indicate that during that same timeframe, shooting sports participation grew from 34 million adult participants to more than 63.5 million. That’s nearly one-fifth of American adults who enjoy recreational shooting alone.
Key findings of the survey revealed the following:
- The most popular types of recreational sports shooting for adults in 2022 was target shooting with a handgun at 16.9 percent.
- Target shooting with a rifle was enjoyed by 15.6 percent of the participants.
- Target shooting at an outdoor range was practiced by 13.3 percent of participants.
The study also found that shooting at indoor ranges has successfully rebounded to pre-Covid 19 levels after their understandable dip when the pandemic forced many ranges to temporarily shutter.
Seventeen percent of all adults participating in the shooting sports were newcomers, a 42 percent growth since 2020. Those findings mirror a similar demographic change in overall firearm purchasers. In fact, today’s recreational shooters are more representative of a broader scope of Americans and are increasingly urban and not surprisingly female as more women take an interest in self-defense and the benefits of recreational shooting.
“These are encouraging figures that are consistent with the other trends we see in the monthly FBI background checks and industry production reports reflecting growth in firearm ownership,” says Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “Proficiency, accuracy and safe firearm-handling skills are learned and sharpened through regular and consistent shooting sports participation. Whether firearm owners shoot recreationally or competitively, recreational shooting sports are for everyone and makes our community of firearm owners safer, more responsible and more inclusive.”
The Firearm Ownership & Sports Shooting Participation Survey underscores the importance of NSSF’s +One campaign, organized to help grow shooting sports participation in the United States.
“If hunters and target shooters in America dedicate themselves to introducing someone new to the shooting sports, participation would double,” according to the NSSF.
We’ll work on getting our grubby, gunpowder-stained hands on the full report to share more findings here at TTAG. The report is actually available for free to NSSF members or available for purchase in the NSSF Store.
