Season 3: Episode 17: Firearms, Conservation & the Excise Tax: How Firearm Importers Fund Wildlife

What does a firearm importer have to do with healthy deer herds, turkey populations, and public shooting ranges? More than most people realize. In this episode of Connecting with Conservation, hosts Jon Gassett of the Wildlife Management Institute and Jim Curcuruto of Outdoor Stewards of Conservation sit down with Neil Sanders, VP of Sales and Marketing at SDS Arms, to pull back the curtain on how the outdoor firearms industry quietly funds one of the most successful conservation models in the world. Neil brings more than two decades of experience in the outdoor industry — from his early days with Peterson's Publishing titles like Guns & Ammo and North American Whitetail, to long tenures at Thompson Center and Mossy Oak, to his current role growing SDS Arms and its portfolio of brands including Spandau Arms, MAC (Military Armament Corp.), Inglis, and Tokarev. Based in Texas, Neil is an avid bird and big game hunter who has built his career around connecting consumers with products they actually want — and making sure those products carry their share of the conservation load. Under his leadership, SDS Arms has grown more than 70% in four years, importing over 200,000 firearms annually, each one generating Pittman-Robertson excise tax revenue that flows directly to state wildlife agencies for habitat, access, and public shooting infrastructure. The conversation covers how the Pittman-Robertson excise tax works for importers, why firearm companies rarely get public credit for the conservation dollars they generate, how SDS Arms supports organizations like NWTF, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and Quail Forever at both the national and chapter level, and what the outdoor industry needs to do differently to tell its conservation story. Jon and Jim also make the case that wildlife agencies need to do a better job recognizing their industry partners publicly, and Neil shares the story of how a novel pump-action shotgun nicknamed the "Butt Pump" went viral with 50 million social media views seemingly overnight.   FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE FIND US AT: Wildlife Management Institute: https://wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://stewardsofconservation.org SDS Arms: https://sdsarms.com   #wildlifemanagementinstitute #outdoorstewards #pittmanrobertson #huntingisconservation #wildlifeconservation #conservationfunding #conservation #SDSArms #firearmsconservation #wildlifefunding #nwtf #ducksunlimited #hunting #wildlifeconservation