The National Shooting Sports Foundation reported on Thursday that more than 500 million firearms are now in civilian hands in the United States, according to newly released industry data compiled from federal records.
The firearm industry trade association released its "Firearms Production in the United States, Including Firearm Import and Export Data: 2025 Edition," which reports 2023 data drawn primarily from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Reports.
According to the report, an estimated 506.1 million firearms were in civilian possession from 1990 through 2023, based on ATF data, Congressional Research Service reports, and cumulative manufacturing figures.
Domestic firearm production totaled 8.47 million units in 2023, a decline of 15.4% from 2022, reflecting a slowdown after record demand during the pandemic surge.
Even so, 13.57 million firearms were made available to the U.S. market in 2023, including domestically produced and imported firearms minus exports.
Of those firearms, 8.18 million were handguns, nearly 3.9 million were rifles, and about 1.5 million were shotguns.
From 1990 to 2023, a total of 284.4 million firearms were made available to U.S. consumers.
The report also found that approximately 32.1 million semiautomatic rifles, called modern sporting rifles by the NSSF, are now in circulation.
Production of semiautomatic rifles fell 46.2% from 2022 to 2023, but the cumulative total continues to grow, with modern sporting rifles remaining the most popular centerfire rifle sold in the U.S.
NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi said the figures reflect a normalization of the market following historic demand levels earlier in the decade.
"American firearm manufacturers adjusted their production schedules and continued to deliver the highest quality firearms for law-abiding Americans," Bartozzi said, adding that the data shows continued consumer demand tied to self-defense, recreation, and the exercise of Second Amendment rights.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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