What Is The Airgun Sporting Association?

So what Is The Airgun Sporting Association? And why should I care?

Observant readers of Hard Air Magazine may have noticed a bold new banner ad that’s appeared on our Home Page. It says “Airgun Sporting Association. The industry working for you.”

Many airgunners have heard of Ed Schultz. He’s a lifelong airgun shooting enthusiast who has worked for almost 30 years in airgun product development at Crosman, SIG, then to Crosman again.

In addition – as of May 15, 2024, Ed became President and CEO of the ASA. It’s a well-deserved appointment! You may have read the HAM story about this from 2024.

With Ed’s lifetime of interest and passion for airguns, nobody’s going to argue that he does not bring a wealth of knowledge to the ASA. He’s “one of us” – a true airgun enthusiast, hunter, plinker and competitor – who has spent years fighting in the background of the industry to benefit our interest.

Over the coming months, Ed will be contributing updates about the ASA through Hard Air Magazine. Some will be simple updates, others may be more provocative.

What I do know is that Ed is enthusiastic to engage with all of us through the HAM Community. He will be looking for comments and feedback. When you meet Chief_Pellet_Officer in the HAM Community, you’ll know that’s him!

So today, Ed is updating us on his first year leading the ASA. He’s also covering the results of the latest ASA meeting. It was held in Las Vegas, at the SHOT Show.

Take it away, Ed…

---

As I reflect on 2025, my first full year with the Airgun Sporting Association, I am excited to share a review of our progress and the path forward. Transitioning from a career in product development to a role focused on expanding the airgun community and strengthening our collective voice has been incredibly rewarding.

A core focus of my work lately involves the ASTM standards committee, a group I have served on for over 20 years. This “behind the scenes” collaboration with organizations like the Consumer Product Safety Commission is vital for monitoring and improving our industry’s safety standards, and I am proud of the success we have achieved.

Attending SHOT Show in this new capacity was a significant shift. In the past, I spent my time scouting new product ideas and visiting competitors.

This year, I focused on visiting our partners and members at Hatsan, Umarex, Pyramyd Air, and Air Venturi. During our annual executive meeting, we were joined by Crosman, Daisy/Gamo (Iconic Outdoors), and Predator International.

Below. Ed with Richard Turner (left), President and CEO of Umarex USA at the 2026 SHOT Show.

We are also pleased to welcome New England Airgun as our newest retail member, joining a long time member Airgun Depot.

The meeting was also attended by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) to continue discussions regarding their 2024 resolution urging Congress to extend federal excise taxes to airguns and ammunition. I will share more updates on this matter soon.

Looking ahead, I am eager to engage further with the HAM Community and share the work we are doing. A primary goal for early 2026 is to revamp the ASA website to make it more user-friendly

We are also focused on increasing individual memberships and expanding our mission beyond hunting advocacy.

Finally, I am excited to share that the ASA and ASTM are collaborating to set standards for airgun slug sizes and calibers ranging from .177 to .72. While the committee is working with all major manufacturers, I am very interested in gathering input from the people actually using these products.

I hope that we will be able to have another post on this topic soon.

I look forward to your feedback as we move forward and hope that this helps to answer the question: “What is the Airgun Sporting Association?”

---

Thanks Ed. That’s a great start!


The post What Is The Airgun Sporting Association? appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

 

[Scriv]

It was good to put this out there, I've been aware of the ASA, but was not exactly sure what they were involved in. As we push, for bigger, and better airguns largely in the interest of hunting, it's not surprising that there are those who want to collect the taxes. I've casually mentioned this a few times over the past years, but it seems like the time is near. Airguns have flown under the radar in the US for years, which have not helped it's growth, but now it seems that you cannot put the genie back in the bottle.

 

[CoyoteHammer]

With all the fraud going on all over the country they have got some serious balls to introduce more taxes.

 

[BenjeneerJohn]

Good writeup Stephen and Ed!

It is important for the Airgun community to know that we have an organization working behind the scenes on our behalf.


John

 

[Scriv]

With all the fraud going on all over the country they have got some serious balls to introduce more taxes.

To be clear, it would not be a new tax, the hunting, and fishing industries have paid this tax for years. It would be applying it to the airgun industry as well, or simply a matter of we get what we asked for.

 

[CoyoteHammer]

Great, taking more money from us so that they can increase their wages Time to invest in a slug press!

 

[FL22]

The meeting was also attended by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) to continue discussions regarding their 2024 resolution urging Congress to extend federal excise taxes to airguns and ammunition. I will share more updates on this matter soon

I take it that this would be a positive outcome for the Airgun community at large…However, I would definitely appreciate a broad explanation.

Thanks.

 

[Billm]

It has been around for years on firearms and now they want to add it to airguns. Currently it’s 10% on pistols and 11% on other guns and ammo. It’s paid by the manufacturer or importer based upon the first sale price. In other words it’s a percentage of the wholesale price. Of course it’s passed on to the consumer in the retail price. Why would state wildlife agencies care about taxes on airguns. Because they get the taxes in the form of Pittman-Robertson funds. None of it sounds that bad, until you realize that one party has been trying to raise the tax to 30% and use part of the funds for gun control etc.. it will be interesting to read what the ASA stance is on this and how much influence they actually have.

 

[CoyoteHammer]

The only positive I see is that states will open large game hunting seasons for air rifles. The negatives are you can most likely kiss your moderator goodbye , an increase of 10-11% on air rifles and ammo (that will continue to increase with the communists that proposed it), this is just off the top of my head. This is not good for us or the industry. The only pricks that make out with this are the people who proposed it. Yay we get to hunt deer

 

[PapaT]

So what Is The Airgun Sporting Association? And why should I care?

Observant readers of Hard Air Magazine may have noticed a bold new banner ad that’s appeared on our Home Page. It says “Airgun Sporting Association. The industry working for you.”

Many airgunners have heard of Ed Schultz. He’s a lifelong airgun shooting enthusiast who has worked for almost 30 years in airgun product development at Crosman, SIG, then to Crosman again.

In addition – as of May 15, 2024, Ed became President and CEO of the ASA. It’s a well-deserved appointment! You may have read the HAM story about this from 2024.

With Ed’s lifetime of interest and passion for airguns, nobody’s going to argue that he does not bring a wealth of knowledge to the ASA. He’s “one of us” – a true airgun enthusiast, hunter, plinker and competitor – who has spent years fighting in the background of the industry to benefit our interest.

Over the coming months, Ed will be contributing updates about the ASA through Hard Air Magazine. Some will be simple updates, others may be more provocative.

What I do know is that Ed is enthusiastic to engage with all of us through the HAM Community. He will be looking for comments and feedback. When you meet Chief_Pellet_Officer in the HAM Community, you’ll know that’s him!

So today, Ed is updating us on his first year leading the ASA. He’s also covering the results of the latest ASA meeting. It was held in Las Vegas, at the SHOT Show.

Take it away, Ed…

---

As I reflect on 2025, my first full year with the Airgun Sporting Association, I am excited to share a review of our progress and the path forward. Transitioning from a career in product development to a role focused on expanding the airgun community and strengthening our collective voice has been incredibly rewarding.

A core focus of my work lately involves the ASTM standards committee, a group I have served on for over 20 years. This “behind the scenes” collaboration with organizations like the Consumer Product Safety Commission is vital for monitoring and improving our industry’s safety standards, and I am proud of the success we have achieved.

Attending SHOT Show in this new capacity was a significant shift. In the past, I spent my time scouting new product ideas and visiting competitors.

This year, I focused on visiting our partners and members at Hatsan, Umarex, Pyramyd Air, and Air Venturi. During our annual executive meeting, we were joined by Crosman, Daisy/Gamo (Iconic Outdoors), and Predator International.

Below. Ed with Richard Turner (left), President and CEO of Umarex USA at the 2026 SHOT Show.

We are also pleased to welcome New England Airgun as our newest retail member, joining a long time member Airgun Depot.

The meeting was also attended by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) to continue discussions regarding their 2024 resolution urging Congress to extend federal excise taxes to airguns and ammunition. I will share more updates on this matter soon.

Looking ahead, I am eager to engage further with the HAM Community and share the work we are doing. A primary goal for early 2026 is to revamp the ASA website to make it more user-friendly

We are also focused on increasing individual memberships and expanding our mission beyond hunting advocacy.

Finally, I am excited to share that the ASA and ASTM are collaborating to set standards for airgun slug sizes and calibers ranging from .177 to .72. While the committee is working with all major manufacturers, I am very interested in gathering input from the people actually using these products.

I hope that we will be able to have another post on this topic soon.

I look forward to your feedback as we move forward and hope that this helps to answer the question: “What is the Airgun Sporting Association?”

---

Thanks Ed. That’s a great start!


The post What Is The Airgun Sporting Association? appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Thank you for a nice write-up to answer my exact question on his welcome post!

 

[FL22]

It has been around for years on firearms and now they want to add it to airguns. Currently it’s 10% on pistols and 11% on other guns and ammo. It’s paid by the manufacturer or importer based upon the first sale price. In other words it’s a percentage of the wholesale price. Of course it’s passed on to the consumer in the retail price. Why would state wildlife agencies care about taxes on airguns. Because they get the taxes in the form of Pittman-Robertson funds. None of it sounds that bad, until you realize that one party has been trying to raise the tax to 30% and use part of the funds for gun control etc.. it will be interesting to read what the ASA stance is on this and how much influence they actually have.

Thanks Bill.

So my first thought is that this sounds like political maneuvering i.e. “hey we want to pay these taxe$ in exchange for protecting our livelihood$ and the con$umer$ who buy or will buy our products”.
Am I wrong?

 

[Scriv]

Unless I missed something it seems to me like the AFWA suddenly realized that they were missing out on a source of income. The growth of interest in airgun hunting as allowed in some states led them to lobby Congress to include the airgun industry in the tax. I think that it would be important to realize that the state legislature would still have to change laws that govern hunting in the respective state. Meanwhile, the air gunners who plink in the backyard, compete in Field target, or other competitions would be subject to tax even if they never take their air gun afield. Many in the outdoors industry do not favor this tax. As an example a fishing rod I received today includes the excise tax as a separate charge on the invoice. The maker wants to be clear that you understand that you could buy the product cheaper were it not for the tax. To be honest, over the many years I have competed, trained, and applied myself to be fit for duty, I have paid much more tax than I ever have for hunting including license fees.

 

[Billm]

I’ll wait to hear what the details are.

Thanks Bill.

So my first thought is that this sounds like political maneuvering i.e. “hey we want to pay these taxe$ in exchange for protecting our livelihood$ and the con$umer$ who buy or will buy our products”.
Am I wrong?

I’ve no idea what the ASA stance is. I wouldn’t doubt that angle. The way it sounded, they were discussing terms lol. I looked at the ASA last year when I was looking for rules etc. for benchrest. I don’t mean any disrespect as I think an airgun organization could be good for the hobby/industry. But, if you read their Mission Statement it pretty much states it’s mission is to Support the big manufacturers/importers. It doesn’t really mention airgunners. Out of five membership levels only one (manufacturer/importers) can be on the board or vote. That means the other four provide monetary/advisory support, but no decision making. The website indicates there are currently seven members. I can see why they would want to expand into individual memberships. I would really like to hear more.

mission statement: “The mission of the Airgun Sporting Association is to market, promote, and serve individuals, companies, and corporations involved in the manufacture, importation, wholesale and retail sales, and distribution of airguns and related hunting and airgun sport shooting equipment, products, goods, and services.”

 

[Billm]

Unless I missed something it seems to me like the AFWA suddenly realized that they were missing out on a source of income. The growth of interest in airgun hunting as allowed in some states led them to lobby Congress to include the airgun industry in the tax.

Unless I missed something: If they’re discussing it with ASA, that means these companies:

• Iconic Outdoor Group – Representing Crosman, Daisy, Gamo, Benjamin, and BSA.
• Air Venturi
• Umarex USA

are representing our interests, with no input from us. I say that because according to their website they’re the board. It’s sounds kind of crazy in that ASA basically has a board with no general membership. But, at least they’re doing something.

 

[Ezana4CE]

I’d like to introduce some facts into the comments section here. I’d also like to encourage yall to read from the source for yourselves.





Source: About – Airgun Sporting Association
using various drop down menus from the home page.

 

[Billm]

I’d like to introduce some facts into the comments section here. I’d also like to encourage yall to read from the source for yourselves.
View attachment 19265


View attachment 19266

Source: About – Airgun Sporting Association
using various drop down menus from the home page.

I’ve read all that. Great aspirations. But, the membership page also indicates that they only have 5 or 6 members. That’s a lot to accomplish by a handful of people and there is no evidence of them soliciting any input from the end users. Not a criticism, just a fact. This is a great opportunity for them to lay it all out and hopefully it will encourage mire growth for them. Another fact gleemed from their website is that All of their news and legislation alerts except one from last year are from 2016 or before. This is not meant to be argumentative, I just feel it’s worth discussing. It was stated in the introduction that they know that the website needs to be updated. It appears some of the founding members have already left the association. I think those goals that you posted are worthy goals and worth supporting.

 

[Ezana4CE]

I’ve read all that. Great aspirations. But, the membership page also indicates that they only have 5 or 6 members. That’s a lot to accomplish by a handful of people and there is no evidence of them soliciting any input from the end users. Not a criticism, just a fact. This is a great opportunity for them to lay it all out and hopefully it will encourage mire growth for them. Another fact gleemed from their website is that All of their news and legislation alerts except one from last year are from 2016 or before. This is not meant to be argumentative, I just feel it’s worth discussing. It was stated in the introduction that they know that the website needs to be updated. It appears some of the founding members have already left the association. I think those goals that you posted are worthy goals and worth supporting.

@Billm In short the ASA seems to be centered around commerce specific to the airgun industry. Even though they are a non-profit organization this appears a business oriented organization. In your quoted post above, you write as if ASA members are individual people. They are not. Some of the names of members I’ve read are businesses and corporations. In order to vote and serve on their board, one must be en entity that I’d call a “big fish” in a “big pond.” I offer the details of their membership hierarchy to support this claim.

ASA Membership – Airgun Sporting Association

airgunsporting.org

All others are donating to support their goals. To attract paying members with most voting rights or rights to serve on their board says something to me. Either people running those businesses are stupid, or that the organization is doing some things right. Since some of these businesses and corporations have been in business for some years, I’m leaning towards the org doing some things right.

Conversely, many of us on the forums are consumers (I’d say the majority), so I think it is safe to say that we aren’t going to be the first to benefit from some of this org’s accomplishments. Even still, we do benefit. I haven’t read the sales reports of participating retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. However, I would think that if they are gaining membership then the organization is accomplishing some of what they set out to do. If an organization that revolves around a member group for ordinary air gunners is desired, someone with time, organizational abilities, leadership abilities, and aspirations to serve another purpose to benefit airgunners can shape and promote a new group of one doesn’t exist. I’d be interested to read about and possibly support such a group.

I don’t see that the ASA’s actions are directly harmful to me, but I haven’t been following their activities as of late. I like that someone is doing something positive to promote and grow activities that I enjoy. If there are needs that can be met, I’d love to see more airgunners band together to further the positive promotion of airgun shooting sports.

If airgunners are having issues (e.g. restrictions) in their state(s), I’d encourage people to get active at a local level. In Texas and in Louisiana there are meetings that I’m aware of where citizens have the opportunity to discuss issues with hunting regulations and to make suggestions or requests for consideration. The DNR agencies release information about them and email citizens with hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses. I’m sure it’s a lot more complex process than making a single request, but attending and speaking up would be a start. Outside of hunting, I’m not sure how things go to accomplish the obtaining the objectives or privileges that some airgun owners may desire. I’m sure some states have different processes.

Personally I enjoy the outdoors. When I got into trapping, one of the first things I was approached about was joining a state organization to bolster the strength of their lobbyists. And that encouragement was direct and framed that way. I’m not one for discussing politics openly, but it seems like this route is a step in the right direction to get some things done.

Unless you’re pointing out something that the ASA stated that they’re aiming to do and are failing to do, why expect them to take on duties or responsibilities that they didn’t specifically set out to accomplish? Have you been donating to them only to be ignored when you ask them to advocate for an interest group that aligns with your interests?

 

[Billm]

@Billm In short the ASA seems to be centered around commerce specific to the airgun industry. Even though they are a non-profit organization this appears a business oriented organization. In your quoted post above, you write as if ASA members are individual people. They are not. Some of the names of members I’ve read are businesses and corporations. In order to vote and serve in thier board you must be en entity that I’d call a “big fish” in a “big pond.” I offer the details of their membership hierarchy to support this claim.

ASA Membership – Airgun Sporting Association

airgunsporting.org

All others are donating to support their goals. To attract paying members with most voting rights or rights to serve on their board says something to me. Either people running those businesses are stupid, or that the organization is doing some things right. Since some of these businesses and corporations have been in business for some years, I’m leaning towards the org doing some things right.

Conversely, many of us on the forums are consumers (I’d say the majority), so I think it is safe to say that we aren’t going to be the first to benefit from some of this org’s accomplishments. Even still, we do benefit. I haven’t read the sales reports of participating retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. However, I would think that if they are gaining membership then the organization is accomplishing some of what they set out to do. If an organization that revolves around a member group for ordinary air gunners is desired, someone with time, organizational abilities, leadership abilities, and aspirations to serve another purpose to benefit airgunners can shape and promote a new group of one doesn’t exist. I’d be interested to read about and possibly support such a group.

I don’t see that the ASA’s actions are directly harmful to me, but I haven’t been following their activities as of late. I like that someone is doing something positive to promote and grow activities that I enjoy. If there are needs that can be met, I’d love to see more airgunners band together to further the positive promotion of airgun shooting sports.

If airgunners are having issues (e.g. restrictions) in their state(s), I’d encourage people to get active at a local level. In Texas and in Louisiana there are meetings that I’m aware of where citizens have the opportunity to discuss issues with hunting regulations and to make suggestions or requests for consideration. The DNR agencies release information about them and email citizens with hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses. I’m sure it’s a lot more complex process than making a single request, but attending and speaking up would be a start. Outside of hunting, I’m not sure how things go to accomplish the obtaining the objectives or privileges that some airgun owners may desire. I’m sure some state have different processes.

Personally I enjoy the outdoors. When I got into trapping, one of the first things I was approached about was joining a state organization to bolster the strength of their lobbyists. And that encouragement was direct and framed that way. I’m not one for discussing politics openly, but it seems like this route is a step in the right direction to get something’s done.

Unless you’re pointing out something that the ASA stated that they’re aiming to do and are failing to do, why expect them to take on duties or responsibilities that they didn’t specifically set out to accomplish? Have you been donating to them only to be ignored when you ask them to advocate for an interest group that aligns with your interests?

I’ve been involved with a few different retail and manufacturing trade associations before. I agree this is a trade association, but the name doesn’t really convey that. Although the board positions are held by corporations, they’re actually filled by designated individuals. They are also soliciting individual memberships and that by itself implies that they are interested in a consumer level engagement. Their newest membership category is for individuals such as you and I. That leads me to believe that they want to represent the airgun consumer. I’ll post a link below.

I have no beef with the association, I’m just not sure what their actual impact is.
I am concerned about this statement:

“The meeting was also attended by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) to continue discussions regarding their 2024 resolution urging Congress to extend federal excise taxes to airguns and ammunition. I will share more updates on this matter soon.”

I would like to see an organization standardize the competition rules so that wherever you go to compete on a national level the rules are the same. That is one of their goals.

 

[Ezana4CE]

I’ve been involved with a few different retail and manufacturing trade associations before. I agree this is a trade association, but the name doesn’t really convey that. Although the board positions are held by corporations, they’re actually filled by designated individuals. They are also soliciting individual memberships and that by itself implies that they are interested in a consumer level engagement. Their newest membership category is for individuals such as you and I. That leads me to believe that they want to represent the airgun consumer. I’ll post a link below.

I have no beef with the association, I’m just not sure what their actual impact is.
I am concerned about this statement:

“The meeting was also attended by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) to continue discussions regarding their 2024 resolution urging Congress to extend federal excise taxes to airguns and ammunition. I will share more updates on this matter soon.”

I would like to see an organization standardize the competition rules so that wherever you go to compete on a national level the rules are the same. That is one of their goals.

@Billm Thank you for pointing that out and for your explanation. Do you have link to the source of the quoted statements?

 

[Billm]

@Billm Thank you for pointing that out and for your explanation. Do you have link to the source of the quoted statements?

It’s at the top of this thread, under the photo of Ed and the president of Umarex.