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States with the biggest gun industries

·Madison Troyer

Loren Elliott/AFP via Getty Images
Loren Elliott/AFP via Getty Images
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As of September 2024, there are an estimated 398.5 million firearms in the U.S.—that's more guns than the country's entire population. However, there are only about 7.5 million registered firearms in the country, according to the latest report from the Department of Justice. In 1934, Congress ratified the National Firearms Act, legislation requiring that guns be registered and taxed. On the surface, the act's goal was to take a cut of the money the burgeoning industry was bringing in. But there was also a secondary motive: to restrict the sale of guns—and potentially limit the number of guns being used in crimes—by charging gun buyers a $200 fee.

In the decades since then, the NFA has essentially remained unchanged. Many still look to it as a way for the United States to regulate how many guns make it to the market and into citizens' hands.

While the NFA's creators undoubtedly designed it to check on the gun industry's growth, it has failed to do so. This is partly because the $200 tax has never gone up, and while that fee was once prohibitive, many people can afford the one-time payment today. The significance of the gun industry, fueled by an ever-increasing demand for guns, has only intensified in the decades since Congress ratified the act.

In 2020, the most recent year with available data, 11.3 million firearms were produced within the U.S. Firearm imports have also increased—in 2021, America imported a record-breaking $1.19 billion worth of handguns, a roughly 37% increase from the year before. More recently, the Mexican government filed a $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers in January 2024, claiming that the "flood" of illegal guns across the border fueling cartel violence is a deliberate business strategy by American gunmakers. Though companies like Glock, Smith & Wesson, and Beretta have launched a bid to stop the case—a bid that the Supreme Court will consider in their next term, which starts October 2024—the ongoing case reflects the role America's gun industry plays in violent crime and militarization across the globe.

Gun ownership and industry, like gun culture itself, vary. The degree to which the gun industry is entrenched in a given state is not merely a matter of how many firearms people purchase. It also has to do with the number of dealers and if manufacturing occurs in the state.

Stacker analyzed firearms commerce data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to rank states based on their total number of tax-paying occupational entities related to the manufacturing and distribution of firearms. In short, this data allows us to see which states have the most gun owners and largest gun industries.

Read on to see where your state falls in the rankings.

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Weapons on display at a gun shop in Washington DC.

Anadolu Agency // Getty Images

1 / 51

#50. Washington DC (tie)

- Total weapons industry entities: 1
--- Manufacturers: 0
--- Dealers: 0
--- Importers: 1
- Registered weapons: 74,315 (110.9 per 1K residents, #2 overall)

A gun club and a tattoo shop in Waikiki.

image_vulture // Shutterstock

2 / 51

#50. Hawaii (tie)

- Total weapons industry entities: 1
--- Manufacturers: 0
--- Dealers: 1
--- Importers: 0
- Registered weapons: 9,280 (6.4 per 1K residents, #48 overall)

A line outside D&L Shooting Supplies in West Warwick.

Boston Globe // Getty Images

3 / 51

#49. Rhode Island

- Total weapons industry entities: 2
--- Manufacturers: 0
--- Dealers: 1
--- Importers: 1
- Registered weapons: 4,887 (4.5 per 1K residents, #51 overall)

NRA President David Keene looking at a supporter's flag during a Delaware State Sportsmen's Association Second Amendment Rally in Dover.

Patrick Smith // Getty Images

4 / 51

#48. Delaware

- Total weapons industry entities: 3
--- Manufacturers: 0
--- Dealers: 3
--- Importers: 0
- Registered weapons: 6,092 (6.1 per 1K residents, #49 overall)

A hunter aiming a rifle in Bristol.

UniversalImagesGroup // Getty Images

6 / 51

#46. Vermont

- Total weapons industry entities: 101
--- Manufacturers: 26
--- Dealers: 71
--- Importers: 4
- Registered weapons: 9,451 (14.6 per 1K residents, #42 overall)

A person showing off a long gun at Jimmy's Sport Shop in Mineola.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY // Getty Images

7 / 51

#45. New York

- Total weapons industry entities: 114
--- Manufacturers: 91
--- Dealers: 19
--- Importers: 4
- Registered weapons: 92,191 (4.6 per 1K residents, #50 overall)

Handguns on display at a gun shop in Burlington.

Mike Kemp // Getty Images

8 / 51

#44. North Dakota

- Total weapons industry entities: 134
--- Manufacturers: 14
--- Dealers: 119
--- Importers: 1
- Registered weapons: 30,975 (40.0 per 1K residents, #9 overall)

The sign outside Chuck's Gun Shop in Riverdale.

Jeff Schear // Getty Images

9 / 51

#43. Illinois

- Total weapons industry entities: 144
--- Manufacturers: 96
--- Dealers: 37
--- Importers: 11
- Registered weapons: 144,749 (11.4 per 1K residents, #43 overall)

A customer looking over hunting rifles at Kittery Trading Post.

Portland Press Herald // Getty Images

11 / 51

#41. Maine (tie)

- Total weapons industry entities: 146
--- Manufacturers: 48
--- Dealers: 95
--- Importers: 3
- Registered weapons: 21,396 (15.6 per 1K residents, #41 overall)

A gun on a glass counter in Northeast Trading Co.

Boston Globe // Getty Images

12 / 51

#40. Massachusetts

- Total weapons industry entities: 150
--- Manufacturers: 118
--- Dealers: 27
--- Importers: 5
- Registered weapons: 45,138 (6.5 per 1K residents, #47 overall)

A group of people hunting pheasants in eastern South Dakota during October.

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

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#39. South Dakota

- Total weapons industry entities: 162
--- Manufacturers: 31
--- Dealers: 131
--- Importers: 0
- Registered weapons: 64,666 (72.2 per 1K residents, #3 overall)

Cattle farmer in Raymond putting his rifle away.

Andrew Burton // Getty Images

14 / 51

#38. Nebraska

- Total weapons industry entities: 165
--- Manufacturers: 33
--- Dealers: 132
--- Importers: 0
- Registered weapons: 43,261 (22.0 per 1K residents, #32 overall)

Chad Mercer speaking to Agence France-Presse from his booth at a gun shop in White Sulphur Springs.

MICHAEL MATHES // Getty Images

16 / 51

#36. West Virginia

- Total weapons industry entities: 190
--- Manufacturers: 43
--- Dealers: 140
--- Importers: 7
- Registered weapons: 50,963 (28.6 per 1K residents, #18 overall)

A collection of guns on display at a firearm factory in Hartford.

Andrew Lichtenstein // Getty Images

17 / 51

#35. Connecticut

- Total weapons industry entities: 205
--- Manufacturers: 88
--- Dealers: 114
--- Importers: 3
- Registered weapons: 74,874 (20.8 per 1K residents, #36 overall)

A cowboy guide firing his old black powder six-shooter in the old ghost town of Shakespeare.

VW Pics // Getty Images

18 / 51

#34. New Mexico

- Total weapons industry entities: 213
--- Manufacturers: 70
--- Dealers: 133
--- Importers: 10
- Registered weapons: 122,968 (58.1 per 1K residents, #4 overall)

A person aiming a rifle at an outdoor shooting range in Mammoth Lakes.

Matthew Corley // Shutterstock

19 / 51

#33. California

- Total weapons industry entities: 222
--- Manufacturers: 122
--- Dealers: 86
--- Importers: 14
- Registered weapons: 406,360 (10.4 per 1K residents, #46 overall)

A customer browsing guns for sale at RTD Arms & Sport in Goffstown.

ED JONES // Getty Images

21 / 51

#31. New Hampshire

- Total weapons industry entities: 228
--- Manufacturers: 101
--- Dealers: 121
--- Importers: 6
- Registered weapons: 72,433 (52.1 per 1K residents, #5 overall)

Handguns for sale in Rockville.

Erick Gibson // Shutterstock

22 / 51

#30. Maryland

- Total weapons industry entities: 237
--- Manufacturers: 77
--- Dealers: 152
--- Importers: 800
- Registered weapons: 136,257 (22.1 per 1K residents, #31 overall)

A student firing a handgun during a shooting course at Boondocks Firearms Academy in Jackson.

CHANDAN KHANNA // Getty Images

23 / 51

#29. Mississippi

- Total weapons industry entities: 260
--- Manufacturers: 77
--- Dealers: 172
--- Importers: 11
- Registered weapons: 80,712 (27.4 per 1K residents, #20 overall)

A child learning gun safety and survival skills in Emmett.

Kozup Photography // Shutterstock

24 / 51

#28. Idaho

- Total weapons industry entities: 287
--- Manufacturers: 130
--- Dealers: 155
--- Importers: 2
- Registered weapons: 76,425 (40.2 per 1K residents, #8 overall)

A semi-automatic pistol with a wood background in Walnut.

FESTUS_BSQRT // Shutterstock

25 / 51

#27. Iowa

- Total weapons industry entities: 292
--- Manufacturers: 65
--- Dealers: 226
--- Importers: 1
- Registered weapons: 54,178 (17.0 per 1K residents, #39 overall)

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AR-15 style rifle barrels sit on a cart as workers assemble the guns at Davidson Defense in Orem.

GEORGE FREY // Getty Images

26 / 51

#26. Utah

- Total weapons industry entities: 304
--- Manufacturers: 148
--- Dealers: 151
--- Importers: 5
- Registered weapons: 118,408 (35.5 per 1K residents, #14 overall)

A person browsing guns in Louisiana.

WKanadpon // Shutterstock

27 / 51

#25. Louisiana

- Total weapons industry entities: 307
--- Manufacturers: 85
--- Dealers: 220
--- Importers: 23
- Registered weapons: 152,061 (32.9 per 1K residents, #17 overall)

A box of Winchester 308 shells in Black Fork.

Ana Hollan // Shutterstock

28 / 51

#24. Arkansas

- Total weapons industry entities: 315
--- Manufacturers: 132
--- Dealers: 168
--- Importers: 15
- Registered weapons: 133,981 (44.3 per 1K residents, #7 overall)

A long range rifle and its ammo ready for a shooting competition in Las Vegas.

Christopher Sibert // Shutterstock

29 / 51

#23. Nevada

- Total weapons industry entities: 320
--- Manufacturers: 173
--- Dealers: 135
--- Importers: 12
- Registered weapons: 119,007 (37.9 per 1K residents, #12 overall)

Owner of Lynnwood Gun demonstrating a Daniel Defense DD5 semi-automatic rifle in Lynnwood.

Karen Ducey // Getty Images

31 / 51

#21. Washington (tie)

- Total weapons industry entities: 321
--- Manufacturers: 140
--- Dealers: 176
--- Importers: 5
- Registered weapons: 165,534 (21.4 per 1K residents, #34 overall)

A gun show in Tulsa.

damann // Shutterstock

32 / 51

#19. Oklahoma (tie)

- Total weapons industry entities: 350
--- Manufacturers: 138
--- Dealers: 211
--- Importers: 1
- Registered weapons: 103,368 (25.9 per 1K residents, #22 overall)

The exterior of A2Z Gunshop in Rush City.

Sheena_Waldron // Shutterstock

33 / 51

#19. Minnesota (tie)

- Total weapons industry entities: 350
--- Manufacturers: 109
--- Dealers: 228
--- Importers: 13
- Registered weapons: 129,825 (22.7 per 1K residents, #30 overall)

A person shooting birds while spending an afternoon on the front porch with their family in Logan.

John Moore // Getty Images

34 / 51

#18. Kansas

- Total weapons industry entities: 352
--- Manufacturers: 80
--- Dealers: 268
--- Importers: 4
- Registered weapons: 69,850 (23.8 per 1K residents, #26 overall)

A person loading a rifle at an outdoor firing range in Kentucky.

Kyle M Price // Shutterstock

36 / 51

#16. Kentucky

- Total weapons industry entities: 367
--- Manufacturers: 95
--- Dealers: 254
--- Importers: 18
- Registered weapons: 108,833 (24.1 per 1K residents, #24 overall)

Pro 2nd Amendment gun rights supporters participating at Reopen Wisconsin rally in Madison.

Aaron of L.A. Photography // Shutterstock

37 / 51

#15. Wisconsin

- Total weapons industry entities: 368
--- Manufacturers: 115
--- Dealers: 252
--- Importers: 1
- Registered weapons: 95,430 (16.2 per 1K residents, #40 overall)

Sign for gunshow in Montgomery.

Barry Lewis // Getty Images

38 / 51

#14. Alabama

- Total weapons industry entities: 416
--- Manufacturers: 118
--- Dealers: 272
--- Importers: 26
- Registered weapons: 194,920 (38.7 per 1K residents, #10 overall)

Handguns on display at Metro Shooting Supplies in Bridgeton.

Anadolu Agency // Getty Images

39 / 51

#13. Missouri

- Total weapons industry entities: 417
--- Manufacturers: 147
--- Dealers: 255
--- Importers: 15
- Registered weapons: 113,351 (18.4 per 1K residents, #37 overall)

Guests shopping for firearms and accessories at a NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis.

Scott Olson // Getty Images

40 / 51

#12. Indiana

- Total weapons industry entities: 419
--- Manufacturers: 103
--- Dealers: 310
--- Importers: 6
- Registered weapons: 157,546 (23.1 per 1K residents, #27 overall)

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Ted and his wife Shemane Nugent shooting guns on their 1,200 acre ranch in Concord.

The Washington Post // Getty Images

41 / 51

#11. Michigan

- Total weapons industry entities: 446
--- Manufacturers: 134
--- Dealers: 300
--- Importers: 12
- Registered weapons: 109,835 (10.9 per 1K residents, #45 overall)

The sign for a large Nashville area gun shop and armory.

James R. Martin // Shutterstock

42 / 51

#10. Tennessee

- Total weapons industry entities: 458
--- Manufacturers: 131
--- Dealers: 321
--- Importers: 6
- Registered weapons: 151,536 (21.7 per 1K residents, #33 overall)

A person shooting a pink AR-15 at Dragon Mans shooting range in Colorado Springs.

Jim Lambert // Shutterstock

43 / 51

#9. Colorado

- Total weapons industry entities: 506
--- Manufacturers: 157
--- Dealers: 343
--- Importers: 6
- Registered weapons: 149,382 (25.7 per 1K residents, #23 overall)

A car passing a gun store and pawn shop in Adairsville.

The Washington Post // Getty Images

44 / 51

#8. Georgia

- Total weapons industry entities: 596
--- Manufacturers: 203
--- Dealers: 380
--- Importers: 13
- Registered weapons: 304,124 (28.2 per 1K residents, #19 overall)

The sign for Aumiller Gun Shop in Westerville.

Eric Glenn // Shutterstock

46 / 51

#6. Ohio

- Total weapons industry entities: 624
--- Manufacturers: 239
--- Dealers: 379
--- Importers: 6
- Registered weapons: 208,661 (17.7 per 1K residents, #38 overall)

Hyatt Gun & Coin Shop on Wilkinson Boulevard in Charlotte.

Nolichuckyjake // Shutterstock

47 / 51

#5. North Carolina

- Total weapons industry entities: 640
--- Manufacturers: 231
--- Dealers: 407
--- Importers: 2
- Registered weapons: 222,166 (21.1 per 1K residents, #35 overall)

Four handguns, two Glocks, 9mm and 40 caliber and two revolvers, a Taurus 38 special and a Charter Arm 357 magnum.

woodsnorthphoto // Shutterstock

48 / 51

#4. Pennsylvania

- Total weapons industry entities: 684
--- Manufacturers: 210
--- Dealers: 457
--- Importers: 17
- Registered weapons: 348,167 (26.9 per 1K residents, #21 overall)

Guns, handguns, AK-47s and .50 caliber rifles, on display.

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

49 / 51

#3. Arizona

- Total weapons industry entities: 713
--- Manufacturers: 407
--- Dealers: 276
--- Importers: 30
- Registered weapons: 258,691 (35.6 per 1K residents, #13 overall)

A rack of shotguns for sale at a gun store in Austin.

Allen.G // Shutterstock

51 / 51

#1. Texas

- Total weapons industry entities: 1,822
--- Manufacturers: 748
--- Dealers: 1,035
--- Importers: 39
- Registered weapons: 1,006,555 (34.1 per 1K residents, #15 overall)

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