Earlier this morning Magoo challenged me to prove that firearms ownership has increased over the last few years. Luckily, the ATF keeps a record of how many firearms and of what type are produced each year. So here, Magoo, is your proof (note: the ATF breaks out handguns into “pistols,” probably meaning semi-autos, and “revolvers”). Combine this with the NICS statistics we posted the other day and the answer seems pretty “common sense…”

Since 2004, the firearms industry has been cranking out more firearms, and the citizens have been buying them.

I love how the two graphs have an almost identical profile. With the exception of 2009 they line up pretty well. The discrepancies in numbers and profile can probably be attributed to the used gun and import markets, both of which were not recorded by the ATF.

Statistics thanks to the ATF Statistics Publications. That’s some interesting stuff right there.