by The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the real gun lobby, released a report last week that detailed the economic impact of the firearms and ammunition industry in the United States. It is a lot bigger than the gun prohibitionists would have you believe and it is indicative of why it is considered an essential industry.
Since 2008, the economic impact has grown 213% to $60 billion as of 2019. Just as importantly, the number of full time job equivalents has doubled from 166,000 to 332,000.
More details on the economic impact from the NSSF report:
On a year-over-year basis, the industry’s economic impact rose from $52 (billion) in 2018 to $60 billion. Total jobs increased by 20,000 in the same period, from nearly 312,000 to over 332,000. The broader impact of the industry flows throughout the economy and supports and generates business for firms seemingly unrelated to firearms at a time when every job in America counts. These are real people, with real jobs, working in industries as varied as banking, retail, accounting, metalworking and printing, among others.
The firearm and ammunition industry paid over $6.74 billion in business taxes, including property, income and sales-based levies.
“Our industry continues to show the steady and reliable growth that is a hallmark of a healthy industry,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “The workers who comprise our ranks are the fabric of our communities. They produce the highest quality firearms and ammunition that millions of law-abiding Americans rely upon to exercise their fundamental right to keep and bear arms and safely enjoy the recreational shooting sports. This growth translates to more jobs that add to our local economies, averaging $55,200 in wages and benefits. In addition, since 2008 we increased federal tax payments by 162 percent, Pittman-Robertson excise taxes that support wildlife conservation by 79 percent and state business taxes by 116 percent.”
The full report is here.
The NSSF has also provided an interactive map of the United States which allows you to see the number of jobs, wages, and economic output created on a state by state basis. It appears that Joe Biden’s Delaware has the fewest number of jobs in the industry while Hawaii had the smallest economic impact from the firearms and ammunition industry.
“…the industry’s economic impact rose from $52 in 2018…”
I kinda think it was bigger than that. Heck I spent more than that in one day.