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This article originally appeared: http://www.guns.com/2015/01/22/women-fastest-growing-demographic-for-gun-buyers/

A new study by the gun industry’s lobbyist group shows that women are the fastest growing demographic for gun owners and how gun makers and sellers can keep the momentum.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation introduced the study Jan. 21 during its annual convention, the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show, in Las Vegas.

For years the gun industry, still very much dominated by males, strived to appeal to women, so with the study the NSSF aims to inform retailers and gun makers how to engage women already interested in shooting sports by designing products women want and adopting new selling techniques.

“Anybody can pull a trigger. Anybody can go hunting. We want to expand that and share what we love with everybody,” said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF director of industry research and analysis, and added more gun buyers could also mean more gun voters.

“It will have benefits, obviously, economically for the industry, politically for the industry. You know, gun owners, they’re probably gonna go pro-gun when it’s election time, so the more gun owners they have, the better it is politically for the future,” Curcuruto said.

The study surveyed 1,001 women between 18 and 65 years old who own at least one gun and bought their first firearm within the last three years.

Results show women, mostly between ages 18 and 34, primarily buying guns for protection, spending on average $870 on firearms and more than $400 on accessories.

To put the survey in perspective, 95 percent of women said they tried target shooting, 58 percent tried hunting, 42 percent obtained a concealed carry permit, and 73 percent have taken a training class.

Also, more than 50 percent of the women said they would buy another gun within 12 months.