The Gunmakers Association (Asociación Armera) is a non-profit entity founded in 1967 by 68 companies from Eibar, manufacturers of sporting arms, with the goal of joining forces to provide solutions to their challenges.
Over time, following several economic crises and a restructuring process, the gunmaking industry has successfully reinvented itself, incorporating new production technologies and adapting to the changing demands of users.
Thus, led by the sector itself, the Gunmakers Association reorganized and opened its doors to new subsectors linked to hunting and sport shooting.
Eibar-based shotgun companies have specialized in side-by-side shotguns and high-end rifles, combining traditional craftsmanship with the latest technical advances. They manufacture luxury weapons that are highly sought after in international markets.
The muzzleloading subsector has positioned itself at the global forefront and has diversified production towards precision rifles and barrel manufacturing.
Hunting ammunition manufacturers restructured, modernized their facilities, and made quality a priority, becoming a global benchmark with export levels exceeding 90%.
Air rifle manufacturers have perfected their products; the key to their success lies in the quality of the barrels and the capacity for continuous product innovation.
Distributors of firearms and equipment from the most prestigious international brands, as well as manufacturers of cutlery, clothing, footwear, and clay targets for shooting practice, have joined the Gunmakers Association.
The industry creates and innovates, venturing into new technologies applied to weaponry, electronics as a component of firearms, and special polymers incorporated into ammunition. Ultimately, the 21st-century gunmaking industry is modern and in constant adaptation to a transforming landscape.
President's Letter
Iñaki Larreina Boehm
President
More than 50 years of work support the efforts of an industrial collective, the gunmakers, who are reorganizing to face the new challenges of the 21st century.
United mostly under the umbrella of the Gunmakers Association, manufacturers and importers/distributors of sporting arms and their accessories defend, with even greater determination, the interests of the sector against current challenges: the tightening of regulations governing the manufacture, distribution, and use of all elements necessary for hunting and shooting sports, the transformation of international markets, and the decrease in game species, among others.
For years, we have experienced, in general terms, unfavorable treatment of our activity by public opinion, mainly due to poor communication regarding the nature and characteristics of our daily work.
For those familiar with this activity, there is no need to insist on our legitimacy and the need to seek institutional support for a commercial activity with a solid turnover and a product of recognized international prestige.
For the general public, the lack of knowledge of many of these factors and the over-dimensioning that the media grants to isolated dramatic events involving a firearm hinder an objective and fair perception of the development of this sector.
In the firm belief that the unity of our members is the best formula to face the widespread tendency toward criticism and the disparagement of a dignified commercial activity, the Gunmakers Association is undertaking a program of actions in defense of the sector focusing on four main directions:
- Continuous dialogue with competent Spanish Institutions (Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, Ministry of Industry and Tourism) and EU bodies to ensure that the sector's interests and opinions are considered in negotiations regarding legislative reforms that may affect it.
- Legal advice for our associates regarding legislation on weapons and ammunition.
- Development of Training Plans for gunsmithing employees.
- Promotion of commercial activity for this collective of companies both in Spain and abroad, by encouraging their presence at domestic trade fairs and events, international fairs such as SHOT Show (USA) and IWA (Germany), as well as through specific direct trade missions to various countries.
However, the institutional support we have been receiving for the international promotion of this business and the effort invested in all activities derived from this tripartite program will be in vain if we do not have the recognition of our rights as a sector in defending the position we deserve in the economy and in the development of two sporting disciplines: hunting and shooting.