Huge Increase in U.S. Gun Production in Recent Years
More guns… more guns than ever. That’s what U.S. gun-makers have been cranking out. According to the latest BATFE Fireams Commerce Report, American gun manufacturers produced over ten million guns in 2013, the last full reporting period. That’s an all-time record.
The 2013 total of 10.885 million guns produced in 2013 represents a 27% increase over the 8.579 million guns made in 2012. What’s even more surprising, the 2013 total is nearly double the quantity product just three years before in 2010 — 5.459 million firearms. Any way you look at it, that’s a huge increase in firearms production in a very short time.
As a category, pistols (primarily semi-auto, and not counting revolvers) have seen the largest increase in production, rising from 662,973 in 1986 to 4,441,726 in 2013. Notably the number of wheelguns produced has actually declined from 761,414 in 1986 to 725,282 in 2013.
In recent years there has been a significant growth in the number of shotguns sold, due to increased consumer interest in scatterguns for sport and defense. The number of shotguns sold topped did break the million mark in 2013, rising from 949,010 in 2012 to 1.203 million in 2013, and increase of 27%.
There has also been a significant growth in NFA items sold over the last dozen years, lead by a huge increase in the number of suppressors. In fact, as we reported last week, from 2014 to 2015, the number of NFA-registered suppressors rose from 571,150 to 792,282. That’s a 39% increase in just one year! There are now nearly 800,000 suppressors now registered in the USA.
The BATFE Report, officially the Firearms Commerce in the United States Annual Statisical Update 2015, also included data on firearms imports and export. Notably, more than 3.6 million firearms were imported into the USA in 2014. Of those 2.1 million, or 58%, were handguns (pistols and revolvers).
Apparently, the left is good for some businesses.
Still well managed companies selling mostly overpriced POS to uncle sam, like Colt and Surefire managed to go bust.
THANK YOU, William Jefferson Clinton, Barrack Hussein Obama, et al. The dividend checks have been nice but little compensation for the deterioration of the country we love.
TA