On Wednesday Feb. 19 Clint Beyer of Forks spoke at the Forks Chamber of Commerce meeting on the health of the shooting industry and if the statistics presented are correct, it is alive and well and growing.

According to Beyer, all aspects of shooting sports have shown increases in the past few years. Skeet, shooting courses, 4-H shooting sports and target shooting for sport all have seen drastic increases in activity as well as an increased interest in hunting with hunting license sales also seeing an increase.

Beyer added that when firearms and ammunition are purchased an excise tax that is collected goes to help with conservation programs for wildlife.

Beyer also spoke about West End Sportsmen’s Club activities which include trap shooting and organized target shooting events throughout the year.

Use of the club’s shooting range requires membership which is $35 for an individual and $45 for a family; the club currently has about 120 members. The club also hosts hunter education classes.

More women also are getting involved in shooting, Beyer said. He recommends that anyone thinking about getting a firearm should take a class and everyone no matter their age should learn personal respect for modern firearms.