Guns& us

I decided to take a look at the weapons manufacturing statistics for the U.S. A couple of stats jumped off the pages as I checked:
“Hoovers.com” (D&B), the “firingline.com”, “gunpolicy.org”, and “gunsinternational.com”. This seemed to give the most centrist and accurate report of our Nation’s production of firearms. With only a few exceptions, all the weapons made here are available to the General Public through distributors, or on-line. And, the last set of numbers I looked at were the prices of some of the more popular items (see below). Looks like just about anyone can afford ownership. These are just the numbers. Draw your own conclusions about their meaning and what might be the appropriate course of action.

Gun & Ammunition Manufacturing Industry Overview

Excerpt from Gun & Ammunition Manufacturing Report

The US gun and ammunition manufacturing industry includes about 300 companies with combined annual revenue of about $6 billion. Major gun and ammunition manufacturers include Browning Arms; Freedom Group (which includes Remington Arms, Marlin Firearms, and Bushmaster Firearms); Olin; Alliant Techsystems; Sturm, Ruger & Company; and Smith & Wesson. The industry is highly concentrated.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven partly by hunters, gun enthusiasts, and weapon upgrades by police departments. The profitability of individual companies is closely linked to marketing. Small companies can compete effectively by producing premium-priced high-quality or decorative guns. Although automation has increased, the industry is still labor-intensive: average annual revenue per worker is about $140,000.

Products, Operations & Technology

Major product categories include firearms and ammunition, each of which accounts for about half of industry revenues. The industry produces more than 4 million guns per year: about 30 percent are pistols and revolvers; about 40 percent are rifles, and about 30 percent are shotguns and other firearms. Within a category, a company may make guns of different caliber and style. The most popular pistol calibers are 9 millimeter, .45, and .22. The most popular revolver calibers are .357, .45, and .38.

http://www.hoovers.com/industry-facts.gun-ammunitionmanufacturing.1200.html

Major Manufacturers and distributors

General Online Sales:                                                             8 companies

Firearms manufacturers and sole U.S. distributors:       111 manufacturers

Firearms Distributors/Sellers:                                                6 companies

Barrels:                                                                                     2 manufacturers

Silencers:                                                                                  1 manufacturer

Ammunition Suppliers:                                                            3 manufacturers

Firearms Training:                                                                  17 companies

Body Armor:                                                                           14 manufacturers  

http://thefiringline.com/library/companies.html#firearmsm

United States — Gun Facts, Figures and the Law: Federal firearm legislation is limited US states and municipalities regulate firearm use with their own gun laws Stockpiles/Gun Numbers Number of Privately Owned Firearms: The estimated total number of guns held by civilians in the United States is 270,000,0001 Rate of Civilian Firearm Possession per 100 Population: The rate of private gun ownership in the United States is 88.82 firearms per 100 people Number of Privately Owned Firearms – World Ranking: In a comparison of the number of privately owned guns in 178 countries, the United States ranked at No. 11 Rate of Privately Owned Firearms per 100 Population – World Ranking: In a comparison of the rate of private gun ownership in 179 countries, the United States ranked at No. 12 Government Guns: Number of Military Firearms: The defense forces of the United States are reported to have 3,054,5533 firearms Number of Law Enforcement Firearms Police in the United States are reported to have 897,4004 firearms Defence & law Enforcement =     3,951,953                                  Civilians = 270,000,000   Production/Gun Industry Firearm Manufacture In the United States, the manufacture of small arms, ammunition and/or their components is permitted only if the maker holds a valid licence22 Small Arms Manufacture - World Ranking In a classification of the world's small, medium and major firearm manufacturers, the United States is ranked \'major\'23 24

Last Updated on 23 July 2012

Short References

1.Karp, Aaron.2007.‘Completing the Count: Civilian firearms.’ Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,27 August. (Q4)

2.Karp, Aaron.2007.‘Completing the Count: Civilian firearms.’ Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,27 August. (Q5)

23.Small Arms Survey.2001.‘Ranking of World's Small Arms Producers (By Sales).’ Small Arms Survey 2001: Profiling the Problem.Oxford:Oxford University Press,1 July. (Q103)Full Citation

24.Cook, Philip J, Wendy Cukier and Keith Krause.2009.‘Firearms and Firearm Regulation in North America: United States.’ The Illicit Firearms Trade in North America.London:Criminology & Criminal Justice,1 August. (Q1980)

http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states

And, these were the middle of the road in price:

BUSHMASTER, 223 / 5.56 NATO BUSHMASTER FIREARMS 90140 A1 XM-15 E2S Series SA 223 30 ROUND MAG. FACTORY NEW IN BOX (( NOT USED )) INTER XM-15. GI#: 100303681

Seller: AA GUNS & AMMO—BKLYNBOY  Area Code: 770                       $ 979.99

AK- 47 ASSAULT RIFLE, IZHMASH SAGIA, RUSSIA MADE FACTORY NEW IN BOX (( NOT USED ))  AK- 47 ASSAULT RIFLE IZHMASH SAGIA RUSSIA MADE CAL. 7.6  GI#: 100303228

Seller: AA GUNS & AMMO—BKLYNBOY Area Code: 770                        $ 789.99

http://www.gunsinternational.com/Assault-Rifles.cfm?cat_id=256