This Is the City With the Most Gun Stores in Rhode Island

(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.

In every state, there are hundreds – if not thousands – of gun stores. Even in some cities, sports men and women, recreational shooters, and firearm enthusiasts have dozens of gun shops to choose from.

Of all the cities and towns in Rhode Island, Warwick has the most gun stores. As of the beginning of the year, there were six federally-licensed firearm dealers in Warwick, or about 7.4 for every 100,000 people.

Across the state as a whole, there were 74 firearm stores as of January 2022, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Using FBI firearm background check data as a proxy for gun sales, these stores sold an estimated 15,157 guns in the first half of 2022 – or 1,433 for every 100,000 people, the fourth fewest among states.

All data on federally-licensed firearm dealers is from the ATF, and gun sale estimates are based on background check data from the FBI. Population figures used to calculate the concentration of gun stores and gun sales per capita are five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey.

State City with the most gun stores Gun stores in top city Total gun stores in state Est. statewide gun sales in first half of 2022.

State City with the most gun stores Gun stores in top city Total gun stores in state Est. statewide gun sales in first half of 2022
Alabama Birmingham 41 1,101 374,096
Alaska Anchorage 104 518 39,759
Arizona Phoenix 164 1,463 273,584
Arkansas Little Rock 36 1,159 113,314
California Bakersfield 60 1,903 691,718
Colorado Colorado Springs 136 1,634 266,553
Connecticut Danbury 12 430 126,268
Delaware Wilmington 15 132 34,602
Florida Orlando 92 2,847 748,659
Georgia Marietta 37 1,836 302,270
Hawaii Honolulu 24 95 9,116
Idaho Boise 78 837 119,491
Illinois Springfield 29 1,324 2,064,400
Indiana Indianapolis 63 1,379 625,360
Iowa Sioux City 22 1,241 127,848
Kansas Wichita 82 1,032 95,135
Kentucky Louisville 86 1,352 2,094,787
Louisiana Shreveport 56 1,103 170,127
Maine Augusta 8 474 53,787
Maryland Baltimore 24 556 114,372
Massachusetts Framingham 8 326 113,472
Michigan Muskegon 28 1,976 403,011
Minnesota Bemidji 18 1,356 458,568
Mississippi Brandon 31 887 134,642
Missouri Springfield 59 2,044 261,399
Montana Billings 65 924 70,552
Nebraska Omaha 51 686 38,309
Nevada Las Vegas 96 481 80,710
New Hampshire Manchester 11 380 66,013
New Jersey Wayne 6 311 81,209
New Mexico Albuquerque 100 544 86,322
New York Rochester 33 1,785 221,579
North Carolina Charlotte 57 2,216 316,997
North Dakota Bismarck 47 472 35,732
Ohio Cincinnati 70 2,206 336,981
Oklahoma Oklahoma City 96 1,316 180,342
Oregon Portland 53 1,258 201,022
Pennsylvania Pittsburgh 41 2,501 619,530
Rhode Island Warwick 6 74 15,157
South Carolina Columbia 46 1,041 209,843
South Dakota Sioux Falls 40 507 41,772
Tennessee Memphis 55 1,404 420,199
Texas Houston 308 6,013 855,905
Utah Salt Lake City 29 776 506,367
Vermont Rutland 9 288 22,197
Virginia Virginia Beach 66 1,596 278,978
Washington Vancouver 42 1,050 399,258
West Virginia Martinsburg 25 862 92,541
Wisconsin Green Bay 27 1,396 316,376
Wyoming Cheyenne 55 566 35,169

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in The Ocean State Current, including text, graphics, images, and information are solely those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the views and opinions of The Current, the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, or its members or staff. The Current cannot be held responsible for information posted or provided by third-party sources. Readers are encouraged to fact check any information on this web site with other sources.

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