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NSSF/Harris Poll: Target Shooting, Home Defense Top-ranked

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn.--(Ammoland.com)- A new National Shooting Sports Foundation poll conducted by Harris Interactive found that more Americans are target shooting now than six months ago, and that “home and personal defense” were the main reasons Americans recently purchased firearms.

The poll also showed that 43 percent of respondents, which equates to nearly 98 million people, expressed some level of interest in participating in the shooting sports or hunting.

“Last year was a banner year for lawful firearm sales, and the results of this poll suggest the desires for personal security and recreation were drivers of most of those purchases,” said Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, trade association for the firearms industry.

“The poll also reaffirms something we’ve known for a long time—that many millions of Americans want to try target shooting or hunting and are just waiting for an invitation from an experienced shooter to go to the range or afield. So, firearms owners, what are you waiting for? Make that invitation and share the enjoyment of recreational shooting or hunting with someone eager to go.”

The online survey was conducted March 16-18 by Harris Interactive, which performs periodic surveys for NSSF on shooting and hunting participation. The questions were asked of general population adults 18 and over.

Findings from the NSSF/Harris poll include:

• Some 18.4 million Americans “currently participate” in handgun target shooting and 14.8 million in rifle target shooting, an increase from the 16.8 million and 13.9 million, respectively, from an NSSF poll conducted by Harris Interactive last September.
• Participation in the shotgun sports of “skeet/trap” and “sporting clays” was 4.2 million in each of those categories.
• In response to a question about why Americans made their most recent firearm purchase, 40 percent of respondents said “home protection” followed by 36 percent citing “personal protection.” Target shooting (30 percent) and hunting (28 percent) came next.
• The main barrier to people going target shooting more often? “Cost of ammunition” was cited by 50 percent of the respondents, followed by “not enough free time” (43 percent).

The survey highlighted the power of a personal invitation to motivate an individual to go target shooting or hunting. Some 45 percent of respondents said an “invitation from friend or family” would most encourage them to participate, ranking this personal interaction far ahead of all forms of advertising.

Once invited by a friend or family member, respondents said they would want to:

• Shoot a handgun at the range (77 percent)
• Shoot a rifle at the range (69 percent)
• Go plinking (55 percent)
• Fire shotguns at clay targets (54 percent)
• Take a self-protection class (54 percent)
• Go hunting for various game species, which was cited by an average of 25 percent of respondents.

To learn more about the shooting sports and firearm safety, visit nssf.org.

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,500 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

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Montie Design Releases the AR-Rest Lightweight Portable Shooting Rest
Updates allowing for proper clearance for firearms with high-capacity magazines.

Montie Design AR-Rest Shooting Rest

Montie.com

Morrisville, NC --(AmmoLand.com)- Collaborative product design and development firm Montie Design has released a much anticipated upgrade to its popular X-Rest portable shooting rest, the AR-Rest.

The new release features design enhancements to the original product conceived, designed, and distributed by Montie Design in the Spring of 2009.

“The response to the initial availability of the X-Rest last year surpassed our expectations,” Montie Roland, company president, said.

According to Roland, his firm has seen demand for the X-Rest grow regionally and nationally as product reviews and feature articles on the product began to find their way into firearm and engineering industry media outlets.

“It’s been exciting to see the popularity of the X-Rest grow virally, which has led to a ton of feedback and extremely useful interaction with customers,” he added.

Roland said that feedback led to the development of the newest version of the X-Rest, the AR-Rest and AR-Rest LIGHTWEIGHT. Both versions are lightweight and place the stock of the supported rifle approximately 9.5 inches from the top of the shooting surface, allowing proper clearance for firearms with high-capacity magazines.

Both the X-Rest and AR-Rest are easy-to-carry, weigh less than two pounds, and disassemble easily in three pieces for easy transport. Both versions are made of sturdy yet lightweight aluminum, providing steady support for a wide-range of semi-automatic and bolt action firearms.

Industry estimates put the number of U.S. firearms industry-related companies at about 200, producing over $2 billion annually in revenue. Approximately a half-dozen shooting ranges are located in the Triangle region of North Carolina, with numerous retailers selling guns and ammo to hunters and competitive shooters.

The AR-Rest and X-Rest are both produced locally in the Triangle using local manufacturers.

To find out more about purchasing the AR-Rest or X-Rest, visit www.montie.com.

About:
Montie Design Montie Design is a collaborative product design and development firm with core competencies in industrial design, mechanical design and fuzzy front end services. Implementing a client-centric approach in taking products from concept to marketplace, Montie Design balances vision with usability in realizing products that are economical to manufacture, elegant and robust. The firm operates out of the Research Triangle Park region of North Carolina with access to industry-leading technology, resources and innovative thought. For more information, visit www.montie.com.

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