Guns are big in Texas, but not as big as you might think, according to study

Idaho Fire arms industry rank: 2 Gun prevalence rank: 4 Gun politics rank: 5 Overall score: 82.38 Overall rank: 1

>>>Click through to see the states that are most dependent on the gun industry, according to a WalletHub.com study. less Idaho Fire arms industry rank: 2 Gun prevalence rank: 4 Gun politics rank: 5 Overall score: 82.38 Overall rank: 1

>>>Click through to see the states that are most dependent on the gun industry, ... more Photo: Tom Williams, Getty Images Photo: Tom Williams, Getty Images Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Guns are big in Texas, but not as big as you might think, according to study 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Guns and Texas go together like barbecue and mesquite.

And while the gun culture may be in full boom in the Lone Star State, the gun industry might not be as big here as you might think.

On the surface, the state's firearms numbers look good.

A recent study from the National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates that the industry has an economic impact of over $3.6 billion in Texas for 2018 alone.

Read about one plan that may prevent gun violence on HoustonChronicle.com

The Firearms Trade Industry Association also says the gun industry employs over 23,000 workers in various jobs throughout Texas.

In addition, the Firearms Trade Industry Association estimates that guns contributed more than $52 billion to the U.S. economy and generated over $6.8 billion in federal and state taxes in 2018.

However, several high-profile shootings have taken place in the last few years, including incidents at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, among others.

And this past election cycle, for the first time ever, gun control groups outspent gun rights groups (according to data collected by opensecrets.org).

Gun sales have also been down since Donald Trump won the White House, with a 6.1 percent decline in 2018 alone.

As a result of the on-going political, economic, legal and moral debate WalletHub.com compared the economic impact of guns on each of the 50 states to determine which among them leans most heavily on the gun business, both directly for jobs and political contributions and indirectly through ownership.

You can read all about the study's methodology here.

Ultimately, the study reveals Texas is not as dependent on the gun industry as the numbers above suggest.

Above you can see here Texas ranks among the states that are most dependent on the gun industry, according to a WalletHub.com study.

Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.