US gun industry is thriving. Seven key figures.

As the debate over gun control rages on, the firearms industry in the United States is thriving. Here are seven key figures. 

4. 5.5 million

M. Spencer Green/AP/File
In this October 2012 file photo, a box of ammunition is seen on the counter of a gun shop in Tinley Park, Ill.

The  approximate number of firearms manufactured in the United States in 2010, the latest year evaluated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). That’s a slight decrease from 2009 (less than 1 percent) but it followed a 29 percent increase in 2009.  The biggest category was pistols, with over 2.25 million manufactured. Following were rifles, at nearly 1.8 million; shotguns, at 743,378; revolvers, at 558,927; and “miscellaneous” firearms, at just under 68,000. Additionally, US manufacturers exported 241,977 firearms in 2010 and imported approximately 3.25 million from other countries.

The ATF also tracks gun registrations, which reached 3,184,804 for the year by March 2012. Registration numbers by state tend to correspond loosely to population: The US state with the most registrations as of March was California, followed by Texas and Virginia. Rhode Island had the fewest registrations. 

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