This state leads the Midwest in the production of firearms

24/7 Wall St. Perspectives

• The United States is the largest consumer market for firearms in the world, and to meet demand, there are thousands of federally licensed gun manufacturers in all 50 states.
• Due to the presence of a small number of companies, more firearms are manufactured in Illinois than in most other states.
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Home to less than 5% of the global population and over 45% of the world’s civilian-owned firearms, the US has a gun culture unlike anywhere else on Earth. The United States is also the only country where guns outnumber people — and demand from American consumers fuels a multibillion-dollar industry. (Here’s a look at the best-selling firearms in the United States.)

As of 2023, the gun and ammunition industry generated more than $90 billion in economic output, according to industry trade association the National Shooting Sports Foundation. At the heart of America’s gun and ammunition industry are the more than 3,700 active gun manufacturers operating in the US in 2022, the most recent year of data available. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives records show that these manufacturers produced nearly 13.4 million firearms in the same year.

While there are gun manufacturers operating in each of the 50 states, Illinois stands out as a center for small arms production. One report reported that 607,716 firearms were manufactured in Illinois in 2022, eighth among the 50 states and equal to about 4.5% of the entire domestic production of firearms that year.

Rifles accounted for the largest share of firearms production in Illinois at approximately 51.6%. Meanwhile, about 42.8 percent of firearms manufactured in the state were pistols, and less than 1 percent were rifles and revolvers. Miscellaneous firearms, an ATF category that includes any other unclassified firearm or firearm component, including frames and receivers, accounted for 5.6 percent of Illinois’ total production in 2022.

Although there were 39 federally licensed gun manufacturers operating in Illinois in 2022, the state’s firearms industry is dominated by just a small handful of companies. Only nine manufacturing facilities in the state produced at least 200 firearms in 2022. The largest of them by total production is a plant in Geneseo, IL, operated by Springfield. Springfield manufactured 562,466 firearms at this plant alone in 2022, or approximately 92.6% of all firearms produced in the state that year. (Here’s a look at the largest firearms company in each state.)

Illinois’ firearms industry has a significant economic impact. Both directly and indirectly, arms and ammunition generated $4.2 billion in output and supported an estimated 15,212 jobs in 2023, according to the NSSF. Additionally, through property, sales, and income taxes, the state and federal government collected a combined $531.1 million in revenue from the Illinois gun and ammunition industry.

They are the top firearms manufacturers in Illinois. It is important to note that this list is a ranking of federally licensed manufacturing facilities, and as a result, a company may appear more than once. Similarly, some brands on this list may produce firearms in the same facility as another, but are listed separately. Gun manufacturers that are federally licensed under their first and last names, rather than a company or brand name, have been excluded from this list.

Why it matters

The United States is the largest consumer market for firearms in the world, and partly as a result, there are thousands of federally licensed gun manufacturers in all 50 states. Due to the presence of a small number of companies, especially Springfield, more guns are made in Illinois than almost anywhere else in the country.

9. Armsco Inc.

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 222 (0.04% of all guns manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 100% guys
• Location of the production facility: Des Plaines, IL

8. Manufacture Design Innovation Inc.

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 237 (0.04% of all guns manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 100% diverse
• Location of the production facility: Gilberts, IL

7. Devil Dog Arms LLC

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 269 ​​(0.04% of all weapons manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 82.9% pistols, 17.1% rifles
• Location of the production facility: Geneva, IL

6. Phoenix Tool Corporation

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 938 (0.15% of all guns manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 100% diverse
• Location of the production facility: Elk Grove Village, IL

5. DR Guns LLC

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 1,542 (0.25% of all guns manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 0.1% pistols, 0.4% rifles, 99.5% misc.
• Location of the production facility: Lake Zurich, IL

4. DS Arms Inc.

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 4,223 (0.69% of all guns manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 2.1% pistols, 53.8% rifles, 44.0% misc.
• Location of the production facility: Lake Barrington, IL

3. Rock River Arms Inc.

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 6,929 (1.14% of all guns manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 14.3% pistols, 85.7% rifles
• Location of the production facility: Colonna, IL

2. DR Guns LLC

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 30,217 (4.97% of all guns manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 0.6% pistols, 1.4% rifles, 98.0% misc.
• Location of the production facility: Lake Zurich, IL

1. Springfield Inc.

• Firearms manufactured in 2022: 562,466 (92.55% of all weapons manufactured in the state)
• Production of firearms by type: 45.9% pistols, 54.1% rifles
• Location of the production facility: Geneseo, IL

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