Community & Industry
What Is the Airgun Sporting Association (ASA)?
By Ryan Rehm • September 14, 2026
A source-linked overview of the Airgun Sporting Association, its mission, its work across the airgun industry, and its connection to Airsoft Coalition.
The Airgun Sporting Association (ASA) is a U.S. airgun industry association. It brings together companies and individuals connected to airguns, hunting, sport shooting, and related equipment.
The ASA’s own mission is to market, promote, and serve the people and businesses involved in the manufacture, importation, wholesale and retail sale, and distribution of airguns and related hunting and airgun sport-shooting equipment.
What kind of organization is ASA?
ASA describes itself as a non-profit business league organized under section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code. In practical terms, it is an industry association: it represents common interests across the airgun sector rather than acting on behalf of one company.
That role is distinct from Airsoft Coalition’s. ASA can engage in industry advocacy and work directly with agencies, standards bodies, and policymakers. Airsoft Coalition is an independent, source-first policy-monitoring resource that tracks legislation and explains potential relevance to airsoft without taking advocacy positions.
What does ASA do?
According to ASA, its work includes:
• working with state wildlife agencies on airgun hunting regulations;
• supporting recreational shooter recruitment, including the Student Air Rifle Program;
• helping establish competition standards and rules; and
• representing industry interests in ASTM committees and working groups related to airgun safety and performance.
ASA’s site also describes its role in providing technical information to agencies and policymakers as airgun regulations are developed or updated.
Why airsoft players may see ASA mentioned
Airsoft and airguns are different product categories, but they can overlap in conversations about sporting equipment, technical standards, regulation, and the broader shooting-sports industry. Hard Air Magazine has reported that ASA President and CEO Ed Schultz previously chaired the ASTM committee that set standards for airsoft gun safety and compatibility.
That history helps explain why ASA may appear in broader industry discussions that are relevant to airsoft players, fields, retailers, and manufacturers.
ASA leadership and membership
ASA’s About page identifies Ed Schultz as its President/CEO and lists manufacturers, importers, retailers, distributors, and an ammunition manufacturer among its current membership. The association’s governance and membership structure are described in its bylaws and on its website.
For independent reporting and background, Hard Air Magazine has also published interviews and coverage of ASA’s formation, leadership, and policy work.
Transparency: the connection to Airsoft Coalition
Airsoft Coalition founder Ryan Rehm also serves as Communications Director for the Airgun Sporting Association and works directly with ASA President/CEO Ed Schultz.
That is a professional affiliation, not a merger of the organizations. ASA and Airsoft Coalition have different missions and roles. ASA is an industry association that may advocate for its members and the airgun community. Airsoft Coalition’s role is to monitor policy, link readers to primary sources, and explain the text in a neutral, informational way.
We share this connection so readers can evaluate our coverage with full context.
Learn more
• Airgun Sporting Association — About ASA (https://airgunsporting.org/about-2/)
• Airgun Sporting Association — Homepage (https://airgunsporting.org/)
• Hard Air Magazine: Ed Schultz Is the Airgun Sporting Association’s New Leader (https://hardairmagazine.com/news/ed-schultz-is-the-airgun-sporting-associations-new-leader/)
• Hard Air Magazine: NY Proposed Airgun Ban — The ASA Takes Action (https://hardairmagazine.com/news/ny-proposed-airgun-ban-the-asa-takes-action/)
Sources
• Airgun Sporting Association — About ASA (https://airgunsporting.org/about-2/)
• ASA Bylaws (https://airgunsporting.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ASA-Bylaws.pdf)
• Hard Air Magazine coverage of ASA leadership (https://hardairmagazine.com/news/ed-schultz-is-the-airgun-sporting-associations-new-leader/)
• Hard Air Magazine interview on ASA policy work (https://hardairmagazine.com/news/ny-proposed-airgun-ban-the-asa-takes-action/)
This article is informational. ASA and Airsoft Coalition are separate organizations with distinct missions and roles.