Hispanic Market – A Viable Opportunity for Growth

To: ALL MEDIA
For immediate release

August 7, 2015

For more information contact:

Bill Brassard
203-426-1320

Hispanic Market – A Viable Opportunity
for Growth

NEWTOWN, Conn.—Recognizing the importance of the Hispanic market to the future of target shooting and hunting, the National Shooting Sports Foundation commissioned a study to learn more about Hispanics’ interest in these popular American activities. Findings from the new report, “A Hispanic Market Study: Firearms and the Shooting Sports,” reveal an opportunity to attract a new, passionate constituency to the shooting sports.

“The Hispanic segment in the U.S. is a highly relevant, dynamic and multifaceted market, and this study helps manufacturers, retailers and ranges understand the strong interest that Hispanics have to learn about firearms, own them and participate in shooting sports,” said Rick Tobin of TOBINTEL, which conducted the study for NSSF.

Key findings from the report include:

• The Hispanic population in the United States is estimated at 57 million, approaching the entire population of Italy, the U.K. or France.
• This market segment has a buying power of more than $825 billion, quickly approaching $1 trillion.
• While the Spanish language is a key component in this market segment, the segment is also highly bilingual, with 70 percent speaking English or English and Spanish equally in the home.
• Respondents who participated in outdoor recreation, camping, boating, hiking, golfing, fishing, etc., in the past year: 72 percent.
• Of the Hispanics surveyed, 18 percent own a firearm and an additional 25 percent would like to own a firearm in the future. Desire to own a firearm in the future is strong, at 27 percent, among Hispanic women.
• Forty-one (41) percent of respondents have been to a shooting range. An additional 40 percent of those who have never been to a range would consider going.
• More than half of the respondents (54 percent) would go to a range on an invitation from friends or family, while 42 percent of respondents would go to take a training class or to get instruction.
• State wildlife agencies are well recognized and well thought of by Hispanics, with 61 percent awareness and a 37:1 positive-to-negative image score.
• When looking for or receiving information about firearms or the shooting sports, 79 percent of responding Hispanics prefer to use English.

The report shows that as the Hispanic segment acculturates, there is an increased interest in and knowledge of firearm rights, firearms ownership and participation in the shooting sports. Interest in the shooting sports is greater among Hispanic men, but an almost equal proportion of Hispanic men and women want to get involved in the future. Among Hispanics who currently own a firearm, key activities in the shooting sports are target shooting and shotgun sports such as skeet, trap and sporting clays.

The results of this timely study confirm today’s importance and future involvement of the Hispanic segment in the shooting sports industry.

NSSF’s “A Hispanic Market Study: Firearms and the Shooting Sports” report is free and available to NSSF members by logging into the member shopping cart, and to media by request. Non-members may purchase the report in PDF file format via nssf.org/research.

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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 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit nssf.org.