The Outdoors industry pumps $1.5B into conservation

Back in 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act saddled the American gun industry with an excise tax on new-made and imported firearms and ammunition.

This ranges from 10-to-11 percent and only applies to items for the consumer market (police and government pipeline products don’t have to pay the tax, nor do NFA items like suppressors).

The companies blend these taxes into the suggested retail of the guns and ammo, so the public really doesn’t notice them. These funds are then collected by the feds, who keep about 1 percent for administration costs, and each year “made available” to state conservation agencies (who must apply for those dollars for specific projects and match them at a rate of 25 percent with local ones) to pay for things like outdoor recreational opportunities, wildlife and habitat preservation, hunter education and public shooting ranges.

Well, since 2021 was the most bonkers year on record for gun and ammo sales, it makes sense that the Pittman-Robertson funds derived for that year would be lit.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week announced a record $1.15 billion in annual funding through the Wildlife Restoration Program. State-by-state listings can be found here. 

By Michael Crites

Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18. During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications. His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual. As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY. He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).

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