This Southern State Is a Leader in American Firearm Manufacturing

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• The United States is the largest consumer market for firearms in the world, and to meet demand, there are thousands of federally licensed gunmakers across the 50 states.
• Due to the presence of a handful of companies, more firearms are manufactured in Georgia than in most other states.
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The United States is the only country where there are more guns than people. According to the Small Arms Survey , a Geneva based public policy research organization, the U.S. is home to more than 45% of the world's civilian-owned firearms -- and less than 5% of the global population. America's unrivaled consumer demand for firearms is fueling a multi-billion dollar industry. (Here is a look at the best-selling firearms in the United States .)

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, gunmakers operated over 3,700 active production facilities in the U.S. in 2022. That same year, these companies manufactured nearly 13.4 million firearms collectively. As of 2023, the arms and ammunition industry generated more than $90 billion in economic output, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation , an industry trade association.

While there are gunmakers operating in each of the 50 states, Georgia stands out as a hub for small-arms manufacturing. A reported 1,185,497 firearms were manufactured in Georgia in 2022, the third most among the 50 states, and equal to about 8.9% of all domestic firearm production that year.

Pistols accounted for the largest share of firearm production in Georgia at about 67.2%. Meanwhile, approximately 24.2% of firearms manufactured in the state were revolvers, 8.6% were rifles, and fewer than 1% were shotguns. Miscellaneous firearms, an ATF category that includes any other unclassified firearm or firearm component, including frames and receivers, also accounted for less than 1% of Georgia's total output in 2022.

While there were about 120 federally licensed gunmakers operating in Georgia in 2022, the state's firearm industry is dominated by just a small handful of companies. Only 19 manufacturing facilities in the state produced at least 100 firearms in 2022. Among them, the largest by total output, is a plant in Smyrna, GA, operated by Glock. Glock manufactured a reported 465,117 firearms in this plant alone in 2022, or about 39.2% of all firearms produced in the state that year. (Here is a look at the largest firearm company in every state .)

Georgia's firearm industry has a meaningful economic impact. Both directly and indirectly, arms and ammunition generated $2.9 billion in output and supported an estimated 10,978 jobs in 2023, according to the NSSF. Additionally, through property, sales, and income taxes, the state and federal government collected a combined $299.2 million in revenue from Georgia's arms and ammunition industry.

These are the leading firearm manufacturers in Georgia. All data used in this ranking is current as of 2022. It is important to note that this list is a ranking of federally licensed production facilities, and as a result, a company can appear more than once. Similarly, some brands on this list may be manufacturing firearms within the same facility as another, but are listed separately. Gunmakers who are federally licensed under their first and last name, rather than a company or brand name, were excluded from this list.

Why It Matters

The United States is the world's largest consumer market for firearms, and partially as a result, there are thousands of federally licensed gunmakers across the 50 states. Due to the presence of a small handful of companies, most notably Glock, more guns are manufactured in Georgia than nearly anywhere else in the country.

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