At least one industry is flourishing under the Obama administration.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has released a new report that reveals more than 100,000 jobs in gun-related industries were created in the last 7 years.
The NSSF reports that in 2008 the number of jobs in firearms-related industries was 166,200. In 2015 that number jumped to 287,986, for an additional 121,786 jobs or an increase of 73%.
The oft-demonized industry not only provides employment but well-compensated employment. The average employee in the firearms industry earns $50,180 in wages and benefits.
Several factors have influenced the growth of the industry. “Our retailer surveys have shown for several years that about one-quarter of the customers in their stores are first-time gun buyers,” Mike Bazinet, NSSF spokesman, said. “About a third of them are now women. The Supreme Court decisions in the landmark Heller and McDonald cases reaffirming the individual right to keep and bear arms has played a role as every state now has a mechanism to issue concealed carry permits.”
There has also been a concerted effort to welcome new shooters into the mix.
“And while self-defense may be an initial motivator in that firearm purchase, new gun owners are also seeking additional training and spending more time on the range than in previous decades,” Bazinet said. “More and more ranges realize that they are in competition for peoples’ leisure time and they are better designed in all respects making them more inviting for individuals, families and friends to shoot together as a safe, enjoyable activity.”
Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation believes the growth is a direct result of the anti-gun movement.”The answer is simple,” he said. “President Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrat Party leaders push to destroy Second Amendment rights. Their anti-rights agenda has had the opposite result. An increase in firearms ownership and record sales of ammunition and accessories.”
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