The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released GUNLAND USA:
A State-by-State Ranking of Gun Shows, Gun Retailers, Machine Guns, and Gun Manufacturers, a study that offers a snapshot of the firearms industry at the state level using the most recent data available.
"This study gives a clear picture of each state's role in the proliferation of firearms in America," Marty Langley, policy analyst at the VPC said today. "Guns don't grow on trees, they are manufactured and sold throughout every region of the country. GUNLAND USA exposes all levels of the gun industry, from licensed dealers and manufacturers to the Tupperware parties for criminals that are our nation's gun shows."
The data reveal that Texas ranks number one in all five categories. In addition to Texas, four states rank in the top 10 in each of the five categories�California, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Three states�Arizona, Georgia, and Illinois�appear in the top 10 in three categories, and six states appear in the top 10 in two categories (Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia).
States Ranked in the Top 10 of All Five Categories in GUNLAND USA
| State |
Gun Shows |
Retailers |
Machine Gun
Dealers |
Machine Guns |
Manufacturers |
| Texas |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| California |
5 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
| Florida |
3 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| Ohio |
9 |
6 |
5 |
8 |
6 |
| Pennsylvania |
2 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
9 |
The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.
