The Dominant Forces In The U.S. Gun Market

According to the Pew Research Center, America is awash with guns. There are an estimated 270 to 310 million of them, one for nearly every person in the country. Given that huge amount, it comes as no surprise that the gun market is worth an estimated $15 billion. The companies in the infographic below account for two thirds of the total market, manufacturing 8 million firearms each year, acccording to an investigation by Mother Jones.

Ruger manufactures the highest number of guns for the U.S.market each year, 1.64 million. Remington Outdoor and Smith & Wesson come second and third with 1.47 and 1.31 million respectively. Even though calls for tighter gun control have been growing ever louder amid a plethora of mass shootings, guns are more popular than ever. Smith & Wesson recently posted a 49 percent jump in profit for the three months ending 31 July. Their quarterly profits soared to $87.9 million, up on $58.9 million during the same period last year.