United States

America's Gun Business, by the Numbers

With anywhere from 270 million to 310 million guns in the United States, the multibillion-dollar gun industry has come under new scrutiny in light of Wednesday's deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, NBC News reported.

The ATF, in its Annual Firearms Manufacturing Report, said the number of pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns and miscellaneous firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2013, the latest full year available, was 10,847,792. Of those, four percent, or 433,912, were exported.

A gun owner has on average five firearms, though the top 3 percent of gun owners own more than 25 firearms.

There are 263,223 full-time jobs related to the firearm industry, up from 209,750 in 2012, according the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The estimated overall economic impact of the the firearms and ammo industry in the U.S. is $42.9 billion, the NSSF reported.

But, the cost of fatal and non-fatal gun violence to the U.S. in 2012 is $229 billion, representing 1.4% of total gross domestic product, according to Mother Jones.

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