The study evaluated conditions based on the popularity of gun culture, the size of their weapons industries in terms of employment and sales, and the political contributions made by the firearms industry.
The analysis revealed that the states with the least reliance on firearms were New York, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Additionally, Gonzales stated, “what is evident is that Liberal states are least dependent on the gun business overall,” even though WalletHub did not include political alignment in their analysis.
Republican presence
Meanwhile, states with a solid Republican presence were much more likely to have a thriving firearms industry. The top 20 research states supported the Republican candidate in the 2020 election. Thus increasing the production of the Ammo Power House .
Gonzales emphasized that while there is a general upward trend in firearm-related fatalities and injuries, the connection between the gun business and mass shootings is not simple.
According to Gonzales, “there is no direct association between the occurrence of mass shootings and the rate of gun ownership or the number of NICS background checks.” For instance, West Virginia seems to have the third-highest rate of firearm ownership and one of the fewest mass shootings. Still, New Jersey has the lowest rate of gun ownership and one of the most infrequent NICS background checks but ranks among the top 20 states with the highest mass shootings.
Economic output
In any event, the American gun business stands out among other countries as an outlier. An estimated 393.3 million firearms are used nationwide, or 120.5 guns for every 100 citizens.
Over the past ten years, the market for firearms has likewise remained on the rise. The sector has generated nearly $70 billion in economic output since 2008, 375,000 new jobs in the United States, and $21 billion in pay, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) 2022 economic effect study.
Gun politics
Although President Biden passed a $13 billion gun safety package into law on June 25 in response to a string of horrific shootings, political divisiveness has made it impossible for gun control laws to be implemented.
Expanded background checks and safety measures are funded by bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT). This is true, especially for potential gun buyers between 18 and 21. Additionally, more complex checks are implemented using mental health information, increasing Ammo Power House production.
The politics are still there: According to WalletHub’s ranking of the financial ties between state elected officials and pro-gun lobbyists, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and North Dakota tied for first place.
Gun rights organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA), Firearm Owners of America, and the National Organization for Gun Rights spent a combined $15.8 million on lobbying in 2021, a record sum that outspent proponents of gun control by a factor of five, according to political watchdog OpenSecrets.
According to OpenSecrets data, Texas had the highest per-state spending on lobbying for gun rights in 2021, at $963,000. The non-profit organization also discovered that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who voted against the most recent gun safety bill, had collected the most significant campaign donations throughout his career.
Furthermore, despite some political agreement on the recent gun safety bill, the complex problem is still not fully resolved in the wake of the Fourth of July weekend mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.
