Fear and Loading: Top 10 FFL and NFA States

by
posted on September 11, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gun-manufacturers-1.jpg

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) recently released its “Firearms Commerce in the United States, Annual Statistical Update 2019.” The abbreviated report doesn’t include total information or manufacturer-specific numbers for 2018, but it does provide somewhat timely information on Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) and National Firearms Act (NFA) tax stamp numbers. FFLs nationwide declined from 136,081 (2017) to 134,191 (2018). The total number of NFA items registered, as of May 2019, was 6,058,390.

Here’s a look at the states with the top-10 numbers of FFLs and NFA-registered items from the report.

Top 10 States in FFL numbers (2018)
4,032—Michigan
4,109—Massachusetts
4,588—Missouri
4,589—North Carolina
4,646—Ohio
5,326—Illinois
6,250—Pennsylvania
7,170—Florida
7,925—California
10,733—Texas

Top 10 States with NFA-Registered Items (May 2019)
175,819—Ohio
175,819—New York
181,209—North Carolina
204,817—Arizona
225,993—Georgia
271,427—Pennsylvania
356,963—Virginia
376,666—California
432,581—Florida
725,368—Texas

On a more serious note, the BATFE figures indicate the volume of firearms manufactured in the United States during 2017 dropped by more than three million when compared to 2016. The numbers were 8,327,792 versus 11,497,441. Pistols made in 2017 totaled 3,691,010; rifles came in at 2,504,092; shotguns 653,139 and revolvers 720,917.

 

 

 

Latest

Double Stack 1911 Web Main
Double Stack 1911 Web Main

A Guide To Double-Stack 1911s

The 2011 brings double-stack capacity and modular upgrades to the 1911 platform, but not every wide-body 1911 out there earns that name.

Legislators Enjoy Afternoon Of Clays With Benelli USA, Among Others

A bipartisan group of Maryland state legislators met with firearm industry manufacturers and representatives for a day of clays shooting while also attending discussions on the positive economic impacts of the shooting sports.

2025 Ammunition Product Of The Year: Winchester .21 Sharp

For continuing to innovate, particularly in a corner of the ammo world that has seen very little recently, we named the Winchester .21 Sharp as our Ammunition Product Of The Year.

Rifleman Review: Hammerli Arms Force B1

The Hammerli Arms Force B1 is one of the most versatile rimfire rifles on the market, providing room for accessories, allowing for a personal stock fit and even offering caliber-interchangeability.

New For 2025: CZ Scorpion 3+ Magpul Edition

CZ-USA has enhanced its Scorpion 3+ pistol-caliber carbine yet again with a slate of factory-installed Magpul components and accessories.

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.