American States Making the Most Guns

Home to many of the world’s largest gunmakers, the United States is a global leader in firearms production. Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives shows that over 13.8 million firearms were manufactured in the U.S. in 2021 alone. 

While a small portion of American-made firearms are exported and sold abroad, our nation’s $32 billion a year arms and ammunition industry caters primarily to the domestic market, as consumer demand for firearms in the U.S. is second to none. According to the industry trade group National Shooting Sports Foundation, there are over 434 million guns in circulation in the United States. And with a population of 335 million, the U.S. is the only country in the world with more civilian-owned firearms than people. 

There were over 3,200 federally licensed gunmakers in the U.S. in 2021. And while these companies are spread out across the 50 states, American firearm manufacturing is heavily concentrated in certain parts of the country. Over half of all domestically made guns came from one of only five states in 2021. That same year, the combined output of the 25 states producing the fewest firearms accounted less than 3% U.S. firearm manufacturing 

Using data from the ATF, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states making the most guns. We ranked each of the 50 states by total firearm production in 2021 – which ranges from fewer than 10 to over 2.4 million.

Like many industries in the U.S., firearm manufacturing is dominated by a handful of companies. America’s two largest gunmakers – Smith & Wesson and Ruger – account for nearly a third of all domestic gun production. Not surprisingly, many of the states producing the most guns are home to manufacturing plants of these and other major gun brands, including Glock, Sig Sauer, and Springfield. Over 90% of the nearly 2.5 million firearms made in Missouri in 2021 came from a single Columbia based Smith & Wesson production facility. (Here is a complete list of America’s largest gunmakers.) 

In many of the highest ranking states on this list, the firearm and ammunition industry is an economic pillar, providing thousands of jobs and directly generating hundreds of millions, or billions of dollars in economic output each year, according to an industry trade association. (These 13 states have multi-billion dollar gun economies.)

Click here to see states making the most guns.

Click here to see our detailed methodology.

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