What States Have The Most Gun Stores?

Above, Bass Tackle Master in Lake Havasu City. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whenever I visit friends in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, I marvel at the number of gun stores in the city. They seem to be as plentiful there as nail salons in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. The city of Phoenix has the most in the state.

This raised a question: What states have the most gun stores?

24/7 Wall St. says that the state of Wyoming has the most. Arizona comes in at number 30.

They posted an article on this a year ago and it begins with:

The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates America’s guns and ammunition industry directly generated over $60.5 billion in economic activity in the last two years alone. Much of that was fueled by record-breaking gun sales following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of Americans across the country – including many first-time gun buyers – flocked to firearm retailers. 

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, there are over 56,700 federally licensed gun stores in the United States. Adjusting for population, this comes out to about 17 for every 100,000 Americans. 

In certain parts of the country, however, the concentration of gun stores is far higher than average. This is particularly the case in states with deeply ingrained gun cultures — where gun rights are well protected and where residents are most likely to have a gun in their home. 

Using data from the ATF, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the most gun stores. We ranked all 50 states on the number of federally licensed firearm dealers, including pawn shops, for every 100,000 residents. ATF firearm retailer data is current as of October 2023 and was adjusted using population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. 

 To read more, go here.

Biden Steps On Hornet's Nest On Wanting To Ban 9mm Pistols

Above, my trusty Ruger P95 9mm pistol. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the most popular calibers of firearms is the 9mm. I have a Ruger P95 pistol that is my prime defense weapon of choice (and for occasional plinking).

Now His Fraudulency Joe Biden wants to ban 9mm pistols. He also stepped into a hornet's nest on Twitter yesterday as the 9mm is the "most popular" caliber in America.

From Fox News:

President Biden faced a new round of backlash on Twitter for his comments on gun control legislation and 9mm ammo on Memorial Day.

Speaking with reporters outside the White House, Biden told about his efforts to work on gun control legislation with Republicans in Congress following the deadly Uvalde school shooting. While Biden admitted that his executive options are limited, he suggested that 9mm bullets have no "rational basis" to be used for self-defense.

"The .22 caliber bullet will lodge in the lungs and we can get it out. A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body. The idea of a high caliber weapon, there is simply no rational basis for it in terms of self-protection, hunting," Biden said.

He also added, "And remember, in the Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute. You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed. You couldn’t go out and purchase a lot of weapons."

According to the ATF’s Annual Firearms Manufacturing & Export Report, pistols produced in 9mm comprised of approximately 56.8% of new pistols produced in 2019, making up about 42% of pistols produced between 2010 and 2020.

To read more, go here. 

ATF Building A List of U.S. Gun Owners

Above, a gun dealer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Elections do matter, including those that are fraudulent.

The ATF is building a database list of all gun owners. The estimated total: 50 million.

From The Gateway Pundit:

A stunning report by the Washington Free Beacon has revealed how the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has amassed over 50 million records on US gun owners during Biden’s short time as president. The information was uncovered thanks to a leaked internal document that was provided to the outlet by the 2nd amendment advocacy group Gun Owners of America.

According to the leaked ATF document, in the fiscal year 2021, the ATF processed 54.7 million ‘out-of-business’ records that included the personal information and sales records of their customers. Current federal policy dictates that when a licensed gun store goes out of business, its private transaction records are seized by the ATF and stored at a secure facility in West Virginia.

The questionable and dangerous practice of collecting this data has rightfully drawn intense backlash from gun-rights advocacy groups because it essentially allows the federal government to create a database of gun owners and keep track of recent firearm purchases, which is unconstitutional and illegal.

To read more, go here.