“excise”

Federal excise taxes collected during record spring sales months benefit hunting, shooting and wildlife management.

Sportsmen have willingly paid excise taxes on guns, ammo, fishing tackle and gear for decades knowing the money is earmarked for conserving and protecting America's natural resources.

The surge in gun sales and shooting sports participation in recent years has fueled the need for ever-more places to shoot. Here’s an in-depth look at how state fish-and-game agencies use funds collected from excise taxes paid by gun and ammo buyers to build public shooting ranges.

Federal excise taxes collected on the sale of rifles, shotguns, handguns, ammunition and archery gear have nearly tripled during the past decade, boosting federal funding for the nation’s wildlife and hunter-education programs to record levels even though many handgun, ammo and archery buyers don’t hunt.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has condemned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Proposed Rule that would ban lead ammunition on 48 new distinct hunting opportunities across approximately 3,000 acres of National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs). 

Outdoorsmen and women are helping to provide more than $1 billion in 2019 to support outdoor access and wildlife habitat conservation nationwide.

Federal Premium has announced that it has surpassed a total of 50 million shotgun shells sold in support of Pheasants Forever, the nation's leading upland habitat conservation organization. The special shells are sold in boxes marked with the Pheasants Forever logo, as part of an on-box royalty program.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is offering shooting-range improvement grants to encourage upgrades of shooting ranges for enhanced safety and operation.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has released its 2016 industry economic impact report, and the numbers are staggering: The total economic impact of the firearms and ammunition industry in the United States increased from $19.1 billion in 2008 to $49.3 billion in 2015, a 158 percent increase. Meanwhile, the total number of full-time jobs in the industry rose from approximately 166,000 to almost 288,000, a 73 percent spike.