Gross sales of handguns have exploded lately. AP Photograph/Sue Ogrocki
People have blamed many culprits, from psychological sickness to insufficient safety, for the tragic mass shootings which are occurring with rising frequency in faculties, places of work and theaters throughout the U.S.
The most recent, which occurred on Could 24, 2022, at a Texas elementary faculty and left a minimum of 19 youngsters and two academics lifeless, was the 213th mass taking pictures this yr – and the twenty seventh that passed off in a college.
But throughout a lot of America’s ongoing dialog in regards to the root causes of gun violence, the makers of weapons have usually escaped scrutiny. As a public well being researcher, I discover this odd, as a result of proof exhibits that the tradition round weapons contributes considerably to gun violence. And firearm producers have performed a serious position in influencing American gun tradition.
That’s starting to vary, notably because the US$73 million settlement between the households of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures and the maker of the rifle used within the bloodbath. This will likely open the door for extra lawsuits in opposition to firearm producers.
To assist assist this much-needed dialogue, I’d wish to share some crucial information in regards to the firearm trade that I’ve discovered from my analysis on gun violence prevention.
Surging handgun gross sales
The U.S. is saturated with weapons, and has turn into much more so over the previous decade. In 2020 alone, U.S. gun producers produced 11.1 million firearms, up from 5.4 million in 2010. Pistols and rifles made up about 75% of the whole.
As well as, solely a small variety of gun-makers dominate the market. The highest 5 pistol producers alone managed over 70% of all manufacturing in 2020: Smith & Wesson; Sig Sauer; Sturm, Ruger & Co.; Glock and Kimber Manufacturing. Equally, the largest rifle producers – Sturm, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Henry Rac Holding and Diamondback Firearms – managed 61% of that market.
However all that solely tells a part of the story. A take a look at the caliber of pistols manufactured over the previous decade reveals a big change in demand that has reshaped the trade.
The variety of manufactured large-caliber pistols capable of fireplace rounds better than or equal to 9 mm has soared over the previous 15 years, rising from simply over half one million in 2005 to greater than 3.9 million by 2020. The variety of .38-caliber pistols – small handguns designed particularly for hid carry – jumped to a document 1.1 million in 2016 and totaled 660,000 in 2020, in contrast with 107,000 in 2005.
This means a rising demand for extra deadly weapons, particularly these targeted particularly on self-defense and hid carry.
The manufacturing of rifles has additionally elevated, doubling from 1.4 million in 2005 to 2.8 million in 2020, although down from a document 4.2 million in 2016. That is pushed primarily by a better demand for semi-automatic weapons, together with assault rifles.
Explaining the stats
So what can clarify the bounce within the sale of high-caliber handguns and semi-automatic rifles?
Gun-makers have turn into very efficient at advertising their wares as crucial instruments for self-defense – maybe largely to offset a decline in demand for leisure use.
For instance, in 2005, Smith & Wesson introduced a serious new advertising marketing campaign targeted on “security, safety, safety and sport.” The variety of weapons the corporate bought soared after the swap, climbing 30% in 2005 and 50% in 2006, led by robust progress in pistol gross sales. By comparability, the variety of firearms bought in 2004 rose 11% over the earlier yr.
There’s robust survey proof that gun homeowners have turn into much less more likely to cite looking or sport as a motive for his or her possession, as a substitute pointing to non-public safety. The proportion of gun homeowners who informed Gallup that the rationale they possessed a firearm was for looking fell to 40% in 2019 from virtually 60% in 2000. The share that cited “sport” as their motive fell much more.
In the meantime, Gallup discovered that 88% of gun homeowners in 2021 reported self-defense as a main motive, up from 67% in 2005.
‘Stand your floor’ legal guidelines flourish
One other potential rationalization for the uptick in handguns might be the widespread adoption of state “stand your floor” legal guidelines lately. These legal guidelines explicitly enable individuals to make use of weapons as a primary resort for self-defense within the face of a risk.
Utah enacted the primary “stand your floor” measure in 1994. The second legislation wasn’t adopted till 2005 in Florida. A yr later, “stand your floor” legal guidelines took off, with 11 states enacting one in 2006 alone. One other 15 have handed such legal guidelines since then, bringing the whole variety of states which have them on the books to twenty-eight.
These legal guidelines have been the results of a concerted Nationwide Rifle Affiliation lobbying marketing campaign. For instance, Florida’s legislation, which George Zimmerman utilized in 2013 to flee prices for killing Trayvon Martin, was drafted by former NRA President Marion Hammer.
It’s not clear whether or not the marketing campaign to advertise stand-your-ground legal guidelines fueled the surge in handgun manufacturing. But it surely’s potential that it’s half of a bigger effort to normalize the possession of firearms for self-defense.
This general image suggests {that a} advertising change fueled an elevated demand for extra deadly weapons. This, in flip, seems to have fostered a change in gun tradition, which has shifted away from an appreciation of using weapons for looking, sport and recreation and towards a view that weapons are a necessity to guard oneself from criminals.
How and whether or not this modification in gun tradition is influencing charges of firearms violence is a query I’m at present researching.
That is an up to date model of an article printed on Feb. 23, 2018.
Michael Siegel receives funding from the 97 % Basis.
