(THE CENTER SQUARE) – There are over 393 million guns in circulation in the U.S., according to estimates from the Small Arms Survey, far outnumbering the national population of 327 million. In the United States – the only country in the world home to more civilian-owned guns than people – guns are big business.
While the appropriate balance between gun rights and public safety is a hot-button political issue, the economics of the firearm industry are less controversial. According to The Firearm Industry Trade Association, guns and ammunition had a total economic impact of over $70.5 billion in 2021 - generating over a billion dollars in tax revenue and providing hundreds of thousands of jobs.
According to data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, there were 2,206 federally licensed dealers or pawn brokers of firearms in Ohio as of January 2022, or 18.9 for every 100,000 people – the 16th fewest among states.
The concentration of gun stores reflects the current demand for firearms in the state, as Ohio ranks in the bottom half for both measures, adjusting for population. FBI firearm background check data, a close proxy for firearm sales, shows that an estimated 336,981 guns were sold in Ohio in the first half of 2022, or 2,886 for every 100,000 people, the 11th fewest among states.
| Rank | State | Gun stores per 100,000 people | Total store Count | Gun sales per 100,000 people, 1st half of 2022 | Total gun sales, 1st half of 2022 |
| 1 | Wyoming | 97.4 | 566 | 6,050 | 35,169 |
| 2 | Montana | 87 | 924 | 6,645 | 70,552 |
| 7 | West Virginia | 47.7 | 862 | 5,120 | 92,541 |
| 16 | Kentucky | 30.3 | 1,352 | 46,948 | 2,094,787 |
| 30 | Indiana | 20.6 | 1,379 | 9,338 | 625,360 |
| 33 | Michigan | 19.8 | 1,976 | 4,041 | 403,011 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | 19.5 | 2,501 | 4,842 | 619,530 |
| 35 | Ohio | 18.9 | 2,206 | 2,886 | 336,981 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 4.7 | 326 | 1,651 | 113,472 |
| 50 | New Jersey | 3.5 | 311 | 914 | 81,209 |
