There are not too many jobs where you can use “I’m going hunting” as a valid excuse for missing work, but the Insider has shamelessly skipped several deadlines recently because I was on an extended hunting trip.

The fact that I feel utterly no remorse for leaving my editor high and dry and you without any interesting industry news for the past two weeks says a great deal about what some call my warped sense of priorities. Guilty as charged.

What I try to explain is that I’m actually fairly normal for a guy in the shooting industry. Hunting is not just a sport, it’s a passion.

In fact, I tell people, the “gun business” in America is composed of two segments, professional and sporting. Professional encompasses law enforcement, military and security (to include personal protection as practiced by millions of lawfully armed citizens). Sporting takes in any recreational usage of firearms (such as target shooting, plinking and hunting).

Most people think that the professional side of the gun industry is larger, especially with two wars going on, but more sales are conducted on the sporting side. 

Just look at Cabela's. In 2008, this large U.S. hunting retailer had $2.5 billion in annual sales, that's billion with a B, according to their annual report. And that's just one chain, there's still Bass Pro Shops and thousands of independent gunshops.

Now let's consider military sales of guns for our soldiers and marines. FN was recently awarded a $126 million dollar contract over four years. Divide by four and it’s roughly $30 million a year. That's $30 million compared to $2.5 billion.

When you think about it, it really makes sense. The Military doesn't buy new guns every year, and turnover is high. As military members muster out, they turn in their rifles, which is then issued to soldiers and marines coming in. They don't get to take their M16s with them when they leave.

Attrition also takes place in the sporting world. Every year, eager young girls and boys join the hunting ranks as some of the graybeards hang up their hiking boots. While some of these new hunters will inherit firearms from family, most will eventually purchase a new gun—possibly more than one. This is the life blood of the firearm industry.

Industry Insider