With a name like Canada’s Gun Store, it might be a wee bit obvious that WE LOVE GUNS! But how many everyday Canadians share this view? Let’s take a look at how popular guns are in Canada.
Special shoutout to TheGunBlog.ca. Many of the stats in this article come from their Canada Gun Facts and Stats page, the internet’s #1 overview of personal gun ownership in Canada.
Canada’s Most Popular Sport
It may be surprising that among adults, Hockey is Canada’s 2nd most popular sport. A 2010 study showed that Hockey had 1.3 million participants in Canada, compared to Golf’s 1.5 million. That same year 1.8 million Canadian adults had a gun license.
Missing from the study were sports like hunting and target shooting. If included, would they have been Canada’s most popular?
Big Business
Canadian gun owners invest over $1,000,000 daily into guns, ammo, and other shooting gear. Resulting in an $8.5 billion industry that employs almost 50,000 people.
What makes shooting such big business?
As of Dec. 31, 2020, 2.2 million men and women had gun licences. That means 7.3% of the country’s 30 million adults want to plink, hunt, or compete in shooting sports.
The bad news?
There are approximately 1,245 shooting ranges in Canada, equating to 1,785 people per range, making Shooting ranges an inaccessible necessity.
Popular…Yes!
Hunting and shooting sports aren’t going anywhere. Guns have always been a part of Canadian culture. As long as our community continues to pass on the culture and life lessons these sports teach us, they will remain among Canada’s most popular pastimes.
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