Industry Intelligence Reports

Industry Intelligence ReportsSM (IIR)

Helping Our Members Make Informed Decisions

Industry Intelligence Reports are publications produced by NSSF on a variety of topics. They are designed to provide the latest firearm industry research in a quick and easy-to-reference format to help members keep abreast of important topics in the industry.

The topics for the reports are based on surveys conducted in-house as well as by using existing data sources and input provided by key member-companies.

Industry Intelligence Reports are timely, relevant, cost-efficient firearm industry research exclusively prepared for industry professionals.

As new issues are published, notifications are posted in NSSF’s Bullet Points.

Some of our most popular reports include:

Hunting & Target Shooting Participation 2020 Edition

A Compilation of Trend Data from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) Annual Sports Participation Reports (2005–2019)
This report has been prepared using up to 15 years’ worth of NSGA survey data. Topline data on twelve categories — Total Shooting Net, Hunting with a Firearm, Bowhunting, Target Shooting Net, Target Shooting (Handgun), Target Shooting (Rifle), Target Shooting (Shotgun), Muzzleloading, Target Shooting (Airgun), Paintball Games, and Archery (Target) are all included. AVAILABLE ONLY with purchase of the NSGA Shooting Sports Participation Report 2021 Edition. Information about this annual NSGA study that includes more in-depth data by state, age and income are available here.

Firearm-Related Accidents

The Firearm-Related Accident Statistics report is based on statistics obtained from the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts online. The data released by the National Safety Council, current through 2018, shows that unintentional firearm-related fatalities continue to remain at historically low levels, with the 2018 figure the lowest on record to date. Firearms are involved in fewer than a 1/3-percent of all unintentional fatalities in the United States.

Firearms Production in the United States 2020 Edition

This Firearms Production Report provides a comprehensive overview of firearm production trends over a 28-year period from 1991 – 2018. The production data is based primarily on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) Annual Firearms Manufacturers and Export Reports (AFMER). This edition of the Firearms Production Report also includes ammunition manufacturing trends as sourced from the Census Bureau’s 2018 Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM) and firearm import/export statistics compiled from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in order to provide a more accurate picture of the historical production made available to the U.S. market. 2019 report available here. NSSF members can log in to the online store to access this Firearms Production Report in PDF file format as well as other research.

A Profile of Today’s Hunter

This Industry Intelligence Report highlights the benefits of hunting and summarizes the financial contribution and economic impact of American hunters. It contains the latest data on hunting license sales and Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET) information, in addition to NSSF’s Hunting License Sales Index – a compilation of several states hunting license data that provides an unusually early preview of hunting license sales.

The Clay Sports Participant

Millions of people participate in clay sports each year. These activities are enjoyed by a wide variety of people. Young or old, male or female, advanced or beginner they are all drawn to clay sports for the fun, social and outdoor aspects of these activities. Learn about current participation and economic impact of clay sports in this 16 page Industry Intelligence Report. Watch a brief video highlighting this report.

The Optics Market

This report contains consumer survey data as well as consumer purchase data for a variety of optics categories including rifle scopes, spotting scopes, binoculars, range finders, red dot sights and laser sights. The report is free to NSSF members and available for $100 to non-members.