Gun crime remains a high-profile political issue in the U.S. A look at the economic impact of guns on each of the 50 states reveals which states rely most heavily on the firearms industry.
America has more guns than people — 120.5 guns for every 100 residents. Guns are big business in the U.S.: One trade association estimates the firearm industry is worth about $71 billion in the U.S. and generates $7.86 billion in taxes.
On the flip side, one estimate of the cost of gun violence includes $557 billion annually in medical costs, loss of work, costs of law enforcement and quality of life costs, which represents the value of the irreparable damage when a victim’s life is cut short or a survivor is permanently disabled by gun violence.
We see that pain and loss too regularly in the news—in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed at an elementary school in May, in Highland Park, Ill., where a gunman killed seven people and wounded dozens more at a Fourth of July parade, and in Buffalo, N.Y., where 10 people were shot and killed in a supermarket.
Americans are largely supportive of the new gun bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on June 25, with nearly two-thirds approving, according to a survey by Pew Research. But 78% of the survey respondents think the new gun law will do either little or nothing at all.
Are they right? An analysis of current gun policy research by the Rand Corporation sought to learn which gun policies appear to actually have the desired effect. The analysis found strong evidence that laws that prevent children from accessing guns may have the desired effect of decreasing suicides and unintentional deaths and injuries, and moderate evidence that waiting periods may decrease suicides. But they also found supportive evidence that stand-your-ground laws may increase violent crime.
Is there enough research? For eight of the 18 policies they examined, either there were no studies examining the effects on any of the outcomes or the evidence was inconclusive.
The States That Are Most Dependent on the Gun Industry
To determine the states that are most reliant on the gun industry, personal finance site WalletHub compared the economic impact of guns on each of the 50 states to determine which among them leans most heavily on the gun business, both directly for jobs and political contributions and indirectly through ownership.
They gathered data from sources including the Census Bureau, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, FBI, ATF, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Google Trends and RAND on three key dimensions:
Firearms industry, which includes jobs in the industry, number of firearms dealers, manufacturers and gun shows, state gun lawsGun prevalence, which includes the gun ownership rate, gun sales, gun ads,Gun politics, which gives equal weight to both gun control contributions and gun rights contributions to congressional members per capita.
Here are the states most dependent on the gun industry.
1. Idaho
Firearms industry rank: 1Gun prevalence rank: 8Gun politics rank: 5
Idaho tops the list. The state has the most firearms-industry jobs per capita, tied with New Hampshire, Wyoming and Arkansas. Those four states also have the most firearms-industry output per capita and the most taxes paid by the industry. Idaho ranks fourth in the country for most gun ownership.
2. Wyoming
Firearms industry rank: 4Gun prevalence rank: 9Gun politics rank: 1
Wyoming ties with three other states for gun politics (contributions to Congress per capita): Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It ranks second, behind Montana, for gun ownership.
3. Kentucky
Firearms industry rank: 20Gun prevalence rank: 1Gun politics rank: 6
4. South Dakota
Firearms industry rank:6Gun prevalence rank: 12Gun politics rank: 1
5. Montana
Firearms industry rank: 5Gun prevalence rank: 12Gun politics rank: 21
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6. Arkansas
Firearms industry rank: 3Gun prevalence rank: 19Gun politics rank: 11
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7. Alaska
Firearms industry rank: 14Gun prevalence rank: 24Gun politics rank: 8
8. North Dakota
Firearms industry rank: 19Gun prevalence rank: 25Gun politics rank: 1
9. Missouri
Firearms industry rank: 15Gun prevalence rank: 11Gun politics rank: 12
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10. Oklahoma
Firearms industry rank: 30Gun prevalence rank: 7Gun politics rank: 9
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11. Tennessee
Firearms industry rank: 22Gun prevalence rank: 3Gun politics rank: 18
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12. Alabama
Firearms industry rank: 27Gun prevalence rank: 5Gun politics rank: 14
13. South Carolina
Firearms industry rank: 18Gun prevalence rank: 15Gun politics rank: 10
14. Utah
Firearms industry rank: 7Gun prevalence rank: 31Gun politics rank: 17
15. Nebraska
Firearms industry rank: 16Gun prevalence rank: 41Gun politics rank: 1
16. West Virginia
Firearms industry rank: 31Gun prevalence rank: 14Gun politics rank: 13
17. Indiana
Firearms industry rank: 32Gun prevalence rank: 4Gun politics rank: 20
18. Louisiana
Firearms industry rank: 33Gun prevalence rank: 33Gun politics rank: 7
19. Mississippi
Firearms industry rank: 12Gun prevalence rank: 21Gun politics rank: 16
20. Kansas
Firearms industry rank: 13Gun prevalence rank: 17Gun politics rank: 25
21. New Hampshire
Firearms industry rank: 2Gun prevalence rank: 6Gun politics rank: 49
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22. Minnesota
Firearms industry rank: 10Gun prevalence rank: 13Gun politics rank: 34
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23. Maine
Firearms industry rank: 8Gun prevalence rank: 26Gun politics rank: 33
24. Wisconsin
Firearms industry rank: 38Gun prevalence rank: 16Gun politics rank: 23
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25. Oregon
Firearms industry rank: 11Gun prevalence rank: 18Gun politics rank: 28
26. North Carolina
Firearms industry rank: 21Gun prevalence rank: 32Gun politics rank: 22
27. Ohio
Firearms industry rank: 26Gun prevalence rank: 22Gun politics rank: 24
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28. Iowa
Firearms industry rank: 28Gun prevalence rank: 38Gun politics rank: 15
29. Texas
Firearms industry rank: 17Gun prevalence rank: 40Gun politics rank: 19
30. Pennsylvania
Firearms industry rank: 25Gun prevalence rank: 30Gun politics rank: 27
31. Vermont
Firearms industry rank: 36Gun prevalence rank: 10Gun politics rank: 31
32. Arizona
Firearms industry rank: 9Gun prevalence rank: 28Gun politics rank: 48
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33. Washington
Firearms industry rank: 39Gun prevalence rank: 36Gun politics rank: 29
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34. Michigan
Firearms industry rank: 34Gun prevalence rank: 39Gun politics rank: 35
35. Florida
Firearms industry rank: 41Gun prevalence rank: 42Gun politics rank: 26
36. Colorado
Firearms industry rank: 24Gun prevalence rank: 27Gun politics rank: 44
37. Nevada
Firearms industry rank: 23Gun prevalence rank: 34Gun politics rank: 45
38. New Mexico
Firearms industry rank: 42Gun prevalence rank: 20Gun politics rank: 41
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39. Illinois
Firearms industry rank: 46Gun prevalence rank: 23Gun politics rank: 37
40. Delaware
Firearms industry rank: 43Gun prevalence rank: 29Gun politics rank: 40
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41. Virginia
Firearms industry rank: 37Gun prevalence rank: 35Gun politics rank: 46
42. Georgia
Firearms industry rank: 35Gun prevalence rank: 37Gun politics rank: 47
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43. Connecticut
Firearms industry rank: 29Gun prevalence rank: 43Gun politics rank: 43
44. Massachusetts
Firearms industry rank: 40Gun prevalence rank: 47Gun politics rank: 39
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45. Maryland
Firearms industry rank: 44Gun prevalence rank: 45Gun politics rank: 32
46. California
Firearms industry rank: 49Gun prevalence rank: 44Gun politics rank: 38
47. New York
Firearms industry rank: 47Gun prevalence rank: 48Gun politics rank: 36
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48. Hawaii
Firearms industry rank: 50Gun prevalence rank: 50Gun politics rank: 30
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49. New Jersey
Firearms industry rank: 48Gun prevalence rank: 49Gun politics rank: 42
50. Rhode Island
Firearms industry rank: 45Gun prevalence rank: 46Gun politics rank: 49
The states with the lowest rate of gun ownership are New York, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
See the methodology for this ranking at WalletHub.com.
