“excise”

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.

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 NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum rallies the troops and reaffirms its commitment as the financial backbone needed to win America's culture war on hunting.

Despite being significantly outnumbered by supporters of groups like the HSUS, hunters rallied in the Big Apple to support the motion that "Hunters Conserve Wildlife."

Why do you hunt?

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 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.