Most of the federal firearms and ammunition tax revenue earmarked for wildlife conservation is coming from non-hunters, some claim, raising the question of whether it can be used to leverage anti-hunting movements.
But in Wyoming, there’s scant chance of that, some sports and tactical shooters said.
Here, there isn’t much of a dividing line between hunting and target shooting. Many Wyoming gun enthusiasts do both, Jason Crotteau, who runs the Riverton-based Wyoming Tactical shooters’ training company, told Cowboy State Daily.
“I think shooters and hunters, they finally figured out, we can’t fight each other on this,” he said.
What Is Pittman-Robertson?
The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 took an existing excise tax on firearms and reallocated it toward a grant fund for state wildlife agencies.
It also established a program of matching federal grants to the states for wildlife restoration projects.
The taxes include 11% on long guns (rifles and shotguns), ammunition and archery equipment, and 10% on handguns.
In 2023, $1.6 billion was generated through Pittman-Robertson, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported.
Pittman-Robertson has broad support, as evidenced by the backlash against a recent effort to end it.
In 2022, U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., sponsored a bill to repeal Pittman-Robertson.
It wasn’t because he was an anti-hunter. Rather, Clyde was opposed to what he saw as an unjust tax on Second Amendment rights.
That bill failed in the face of massive pushback from people who support Pittman-Robertson.
Non-Hunters Pitch In
According to a group called Wildlife For All, the bulk of funds raised through the Pittman-Robertson excise tax on firearms and ammo have for years come from non-hunters.
The group cites a 2021 study conducted by hunting, shooting and fishing market research firm Southwick Associates. It states that as of 2020, 28.8% of firearms and ammunition sales “can be assigned to hunting purposes,” while 72.4% to “non-hunting purposes.”
According to the Wildlife For All website, the group isn’t against hunting for food, but the group questions many current wildlife management practices through state agencies, such as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
However, NSSF reported that the Pittman-Robertson taxes aren’t dividing sports shooters and hunters.
A survey of non-hunting gun owners and recreational shooters indicated that 86% supported the excise tax for conservation funding.
Andy Rayland, action pistol coordinator at the Otto Road Shooting Range near Cheyenne, said that reflects what he sees on the range.
As a non-hunter himself, Rayland says he’s fine with the taxes he pays on guns and ammo going toward wildlife conservation for hunting.
“I support hunting. I support hunting rights, and I think it’s a wonderful American tradition,” he said.
Sport Shooting Growing Fast
The shooting sports are “growing by leaps and bounds,” Rayland said.
Action pistol shooting is his specialty. That involves a “blend of shooting disciplines,” including precision bullseye shooting, shooting at moving targets, and shooting from behind a barricade, he said.
“We attract a lot of novices, because you don’t need a lot of specialized equipment,” he said.
“We get a good crowd that comes up each month. And a lot of them are from the Denver metro area, or Fort Collins. And a lot of them are not hunters,” Rayland said.
Many aren’t aware of Pittman-Robertson, he said. When he tells them about the tax, and what the money goes for, almost all of them are supportive of it, he said.
“I wouldn’t say that I’ve gotten any anti-hunters or animal rights people that are part of my matches,” he said.
And the money that non-hunting shooters contribute is significant, he said.
Each shooter might go through 200 rounds of pistol ammunition in a single match, he said.
Changing Demographics
Crotteau, who is a hunter, said he’s also seen an increasing interest in sport shooting, and tactical training for self-defense.
Particularly among younger people in Wyoming, hunting and sporting or tactical shooting go hand-in-hand, he said.
There are also more women taking up shooting. Many get involved out of an interest in self-defense, he said.
“I would say about 40 percent of the students in my classes are women. And of those, about half of them are hunters,” he said.
He added that even if most of the money going into Pittman-Robertson is coming from sales for target ammunition, and not hunting ammunition, hunters are still leading the way in wildlife conservation.
Hunters are the most involved in “boots on the ground” wildlife conservation projects, such as cleaning up old fence lines that block deer migration routes, he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
