Tax receipts from surging gun and ammunition sales in the U.S. boosted money for a federal conservation program to a record level in 2022, officials announced Friday.
Excise taxes on guns, ammunition and archery equipment brought in $1.1 billion for federal grants to states for wildlife conservation and hunter education, said officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A related program for fish restoration brought in almost $400 million, from taxes on fishing equipment and boat fuel, they said.
The money for the wildlife program rose by more than 60 percent over last year and shattered the previous high of $808 million in 2015, according to figures provided by Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Laury Marshall.
The restoration programs distribute tax money from hunting, shooting and fishing equipment to all 50 states and U.S. territories.
At least 18.5 million firearms were sold last year, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The sales volume is based on the number of law enforcement background checks for gun buyers and is a minimum estimate, said Mark Oliva, the firearm group’s public affairs director.
There were a record 21 million background checks in 2020, and ammunition sales also have been up sharply during the pandemic, rising by about 30 percent, Oliva said.
