Mapping Gun Manufacturers By US State

September 16, 2024 in News by RBN Staff

source:  zerohedge

 

BY TYLER DURDEN
MONDAY, SEP 16, 2024 – 07:30 PM

Gun manufacturing in the U.S. has been increasing steadily in recent years, with a significant spike during the pandemic.

According to the Violence Policy Centerthere are almost five times as many gun manufacturers as there are colleges in the country.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, visualizes the number of Type 7 Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) in each U.S. state in 2022, and the percentage increase in FFLs from 2017 to 2022. Type 7 FFLs are the basic federal license required to manufacture and sell guns and ammunition in America.

The data comes from the Violence Policy Center and reflects 2022 data.

Which U.S. States Have the Most Gun Manufacturers?

While most production is concentrated in the hands of a few key players, a majority of gun manufacturers actually don’t operate out of big commercial facilities, but instead, out of homes or offices.

Rank State Number of gun manufacturers Increase (2017-2022)
1 Texas 2,321 78%
2 Florida 1,214 59%
3 Arizona 1,026 55%
4 North Carolina 737 70%
5 Ohio 715 51%
6 Pennsylvania 669 79%
7 Georgia 607 77%
8 California 580 6%
9 Colorado 573 56%
10 Utah 515 66%
11 Michigan 470 70%
12 Virginia 459 48%
13 Tennessee 454 74%
14 Missouri 440 41%
15 Oklahoma 437 42%
16 Idaho 432 62%
17 Washington 427 71%
18 Wisconsin 371 46%
19 New York 365 77%
20 South Carolina 347 78%
21 Indiana 323 53%
22 Alabama 323 50%
23 Arkansas 312 42%
24 Nevada 291 40%
25 Massachusetts 290 44%
26 Minnesota 274 42%
27 Illinois 267 25%
28 Louisiana 264 51%
29 Oregon 263 35%
30 Kentucky 255 70%
31 Kansas 254 58%
32 Montana 250 46%
33 Iowa 235 81%
34 New Hampshire 197 31%
35 Mississippi 193 40%
36 New Mexico 193 36%
37 Connecticut 193 14%
38 Wyoming 188 100%
39 Maryland 178 37%
40 West Virginia 150 85%
41 Maine 120 26%
42 Alaska 118 57%
43 South Dakota 117 121%
44 Nebraska 115 53%
45 Vermont 89 48%
46 North Dakota 68 325%
47 New Jersey 30 7%
48 Rhode Island 27 42%
49 Hawaii 15 114%
50 Delaware 12 71%

Texas, Florida, and Arizona, the three states with the most gun manufacturers in 2022, all have business-friendly policies including low or no income taxes and fewer regulations, as well as strong gun cultures.

Large firearms companies have also increasingly chosen to move their headquarters and production to red states, especially in the South.

Other Southern red states are capitalizing on this trend. In Oklahoma, just north of Texas, Governor Kevin Stitt has promoted the state’s “pro-Second Amendment” stance to attract more firearms manufacturers.

Out of the top five states with the most manufacturers, four (Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Ohio) have constitutional carry laws. These laws allow individuals to carry a firearm without a permit.

Many of these top states also do not require permits for people to carry concealed weapons, such as handguns, in public.

To learn about gun ownership in America, check out this graphic that shows how gun ownership rates in the U.S. have changed over the past decade.