InvisibleBlack
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Musicmystery
From http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c36203:
The US firearms industry includes about 200 companies with combined annual revenue of $2 billion. The largest gun manufacturers are Remington and Sturm Ruger. Other companies that manufacture more than 50,000 weapons annually are Marlin, Mossberg, Smith & Wesson, H&R, US Repeating Arms, Savage, Bryco, Beretta, and Beemiller. Remington and Winchester are also major manufacturers of ammunition.
The industry is highly concentrated: the five largest producers control 55 percent of the pistol market and 72 percent of the rifle market. Three manufacturers (Mossberg, H&R, and Remington) control 86 percent of the shotgun market, while just two (Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger) control 80 percent of the revolver market.
Demand, which has been flat for years, is partly driven by hunters and partly by weapons' upgrades by police departments. The profitability of individual companies is closely linked to volume because fixed costs are high. Small companies can compete effectively by producing high-quality or decorative guns that sell for a premium.
ETA--
The number of privately owned guns in the U.S. is at an all-time high, and rises by about 4.5 million per year.
BATFE, "Annual Firearm Manufacturers and Export Reports" (www.atf.gov/firearms/stats/index.htm).
That link generates an error.
I'm having real trouble finding any detailed statistics on the United States gun industry. I question the validity of the article you posted. Having done a little more research - Colt went bankrupt in 1992. It emerged from bankruptcy in 1996 under new ownership but has discontinued most of its former lines. Uberti (an Italian company) now makes and sells more Colt-designed revolvers in the United States than Colt does. Smith & Wesson almost went under and was sold in 2001 to the Saf-T Hammer corporation for $15 million dollars (its previous book value was 112 million). Winchester (U. S. Repeating Arms) went bankrupt in 1989 and was bought out by a Belgian holding company. They closed the Winchester plant in Connecticut in 2006. Beretta US is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Beretta Holding Group - an Italian company.
The Guide to the U. S. Small Arms Market (which only has data upto 2004) shows a marked decline in U.S. manufacturer's share of their own market and increasing imports. Between 1998 and 2004 US firearms went from 80 percent of the US market to 60 percent. Imported firearms went from 20 percent to 40 percent. I don't believe this trend has reversed itself, although I lack the data to support that theory.
http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/sas/publications/o_papers_pdf/2006-op19-US.pdf
When deciding to equip the Iraqi Army - the DOD bought European made AK-47s and Glock pistols. I believe that Glock also now has better than 60% of the law enforcement market. While I wouldn't dispute that more Americans own firearms now than they ever have before - I'm fairly certain that more of those firearms are of foreign make than at any time in history since the Revolutionary War.
Looking up individual companies is time consuming work but I did one more - Remington - which is the largest U. S. firearms manufacturer:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSWEN615420070405
In somewhat startling news, the Remington Arms Company announced yesterday that it would be acquired by Cerberus Capital Managment. Cerberus is paying $118 million in cash and assuming Remington’s $252 million of accumulated debt. The deal is expected to close June 7th. Remington Arms was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington II. Currently, Remington is the #1 producer of shotguns and #1 producer of rifles for U.S. domestic sales according to published BATF records. For the time being Remington’s executives will stay in place, but Cerberus is known for bringing in its own management teams to run the companies it has acquired. Cerberus specializes in acquiring large enterprises that are cash-strapped or on the verge of bankruptcy, and then turning them around. In 2006 Remington posted earnings of $300,000 after three previous years of losses.
The American firearms industry was robust in the 1960s. It's not now and it hasn't been for quite some time. I know there are people here with more day-to-day experience in the firearms market than I have these days. How are the U.S. guns selling as opposed to foreign ones?
[Edited: left out my links]
< Message edited by InvisibleBlack -- 3/3/2010 6:01:33 PM >
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