The US has seen a steady growth in gun manufacturing in recent years. In fact, according to the Violence Policy Center, there are almost five times as many firearms manufacturers across the country than there are colleges.

To show where gun manufacturers are most prevalent, Visual Capitalist used 2022 data from the Violence Policy Center to map the number of Type 7 Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) in each US state, as well as the percentage increase in FFLs from 2017 to 2022.

Type 7 FFLs are the basic federal license required to manufacture firearms, ammo or destructive devices in America. While a handful of major companies are responsible for most of the country's gun production, the majority of manufacturers actually operate out of homes or offices.

By far, the most gun manufacturers were found in Texas, where the total stood at 2,321 in 2022 — a jump of 78 percent since 2017. Following in second and third place were Florida (1,214) and Arizona (1,026). All three states have low or no income taxes, fewer regulations and strong gun cultures.

When it comes to the states where Type 7 FFLs have increased the most, North Dakota tops the list, with a staggering growth of 325 percent between 2017 and 2022. South Dakota, Hawaii and Wyoming have also boosted firearms manufacturing by at least 100 percent over the same period.

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Found this interesting? Check out this map of civilian firearm possession around the world.

Via Visual Capitalist.