The United States is the single largest civilian firearm market in the world. A recent Gallup poll found that 45% of Americans have a gun in their home. And many of those households have more than one, as the U.S. is the only country with more privately-owned guns than people.
Whether for hunting, target shooting, personal protection, or home defense, consumer demand for firearms in the U.S. fuels a $32.1 billion a year industry. And across the country, companies are cashing in. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives reported that over 13.3 million firearms were manufactured in the U.S. for the domestic market in 2021. (Here is a look at which Americans own the most guns: a survey of all 50 states.)
According to the ATF, there are more than 3,200 federally licensed firearm production plants in the U.S., and 105 of them are operating in Georgia. Between them, a total of 1,496,877 firearms were manufactured in the state in 2021.
No company made more firearms in Georgia that year than Glock Inc. Through a production facility in Smyrna, the company produced a reported 581,944 guns – or 38.9% of all firearms made in the state in 2021.
| State | Gun production facilities in state, 2021 | Guns manufactured in state, 2021 | Largest gunmaker in state, 2021 | Largest gunmaker output, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 52 | 294,166 | Kimber Mfg Inc. | 275,325 |
| Alaska | 21 | 258 | Annex Industries, LLC | 50 |
| Arizona | 192 | 699,100 | Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. | 603,500 |
| Arkansas | 47 | 73,351 | Wilson’s Gun Shop Inc. | 41,746 |
| California | 76 | 82,532 | Senga Engineering Inc. | 23,324 |
| Colorado | 75 | 3,109 | M+M Inc. | 1,712 |
| Connecticut | 33 | 184,633 | Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC | 151,771 |
| Delaware | 2 | 11 | Gusovsky Gunsmithing LLC | 8 |
| Florida | 198 | 671,359 | SCCY Industries LLC | 216,932 |
| Georgia | 105 | 1,496,877 | Glock Inc. | 581,944 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 8 | Koffin Wurks LLC | 7 |
| Idaho | 75 | 43,241 | FM Products Inc. | 18,593 |
| Illinois | 43 | 647,423 | Springfield Inc. | 590,750 |
| Indiana | 60 | 41,498 | Tippmann Arms Company LLC | 15,113 |
| Iowa | 47 | 25,326 | Brownells Inc. | 11,024 |
| Kansas | 46 | 19,287 | CZ-USA | 14,383 |
| Kentucky | 39 | 510,679 | WM C Anderson Inc. | 505,635 |
| Louisiana | 43 | 2,658 | Brothers LA Arms, LLC | 640 |
| Maine | 21 | 23,226 | Windham Weaponry Inc. | 22,930 |
| Maryland | 24 | 30,358 | LWRC International | 27,331 |
| Massachusetts | 27 | 435,514 | Savage Arms, Inc. | 406,867 |
| Michigan | 73 | 26,424 | Great Lakes Firearms and Ammunition LLC | 22,388 |
| Minnesota | 37 | 46,584 | Magnum Research Inc. | 14,586 |
| Mississippi | 39 | 3,003 | JMS Manufacturing Inc. | 1,289 |
| Missouri | 93 | 2,467,145 | Smith & Wesson | 2,316,857 |
| Montana | 55 | 26,446 | Noreen Firearms LLC | 16,296 |
| Nebraska | 26 | 6,882 | Zermatt Arms Inc. | 4,076 |
| Nevada | 56 | 262,086 | Legacy Sports International Inc. | 214,258 |
| New Hampshire | 27 | 1,992,731 | Sig Sauer Inc. | 1,293,532 |
| New Jersey | 11 | 209,770 | Henry RAC Holding Corp. | 208,423 |
| New Mexico | 24 | 281 | Farnsworth, Dustin Robert and Angie J | 81 |
| New York | 61 | 128,276 | RemArms LLC | 86,594 |
| North Carolina | 152 | 894,882 | Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. | 604,941 |
| North Dakota | 10 | 1,301 | Roughrider Arms LLC | 1,167 |
| Ohio | 117 | 130,848 | Strassells Machine Inc. | 106,807 |
| Oklahoma | 69 | 14,654 | International Firearm Corporation LLC | 11,423 |
| Oregon | 50 | 16,619 | TNW Firearms Inc. | 4,004 |
| Pennsylvania | 110 | 228,400 | IWI US Inc. | 96,662 |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 144 | Ocean State Armory LLC | 50 |
| South Carolina | 55 | 240,114 | Fn America, LLC | 169,407 |
| South Dakota | 20 | 906 | West River Rifle Company LLC | 277 |
| Tennessee | 82 | 185,720 | Beretta USA Corp. | 155,352 |
| Texas | 401 | 814,838 | Maverick Arms, Inc. | 492,167 |
| Utah | 103 | 271,862 | TDJ Buyer, LLC | 72,983 |
| Vermont | 20 | 135,030 | Century Arms Inc. | 132,705 |
| Virginia | 84 | 17,890 | Kriss USA, Inc. | 12,809 |
| Washington | 62 | 242,736 | Aero Precision LLC | 174,662 |
| West Virginia | 28 | 6,941 | Childers Guns LLC | 5,108 |
| Wisconsin | 80 | 137,397 | Henry RAC Holding Corp. | 112,180 |
| Wyoming | 52 | 10,341 | Weatherby Inc. | 7,630 |
By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square
Dictators have often seized control of Countries after convincing people to give up their guns or their rights to defend themselves (e.g. Iran).