NEWTOWN, Conn. — NSSF®, the firearm industry trade association, updated the industry estimate of Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) in circulation in the United States to 24,446,000 since 1990. That is an increase of over 4.5 million rifles since the last estimate was released in 2020.
The estimate is derived from NSSF research, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report (AFMER) and U.S. International Trade Commission (U.S. ITC) data, in cooperation with manufacturers, importers and exporters of MSRs, or AR-15 and AK-style rifles. This most recent estimate includes production figures current through 2020, when the industry estimates over 2,798,000 of these rifles were produced or imported. This estimate does not include MSRs that were produced and exported or imported and later exported.
SEE ALSO: Americans Trust Armed Civilians More than the Police to Stop Active Shooters
The MSR remains the most-popular selling centerfire semiautomatic rifle in the United States today. There are more MSRs in circulation today than there are Ford F-Series trucks on the road.
“This is a truly significant figure that demonstrates – again – the popularity of this commonly-owned style of rifle,” said NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi. “The firearm industry responds to market demand and this shows that during the elevated period of firearm sales that began in 2020, this particular style of rifle is the top choice for law-abiding citizens for hunting, recreational shooting and self-defense.”
The MSR’s popularity for lawful ownership is attributable to several factors, including accuracy, reliability, modularity and low recoil.
Don’t want to appear seditious or make anyone suspicious, so I’ll draw no conclusions and just put the numbers out there while we are looking at polls and stats:
There are 906,037 full-time law enforcement employees and 94,275 part-time employees: Total = 1,000,312.
As of fiscal 2022, there are 1,832,000 active and reserve military personnel in the US Military.
The total number of personnel in the standing armies of 196 world nations, including the Russian Federation, China, and the US is between 39 and 40 million.
There are 90+ million gun owners in the US; they own more than 400 million firearms, including over 25 million modern sporting rifles; 80% of all non-modern sporting rifles owned by Americans are chambered in cartridges with ballistics superior to the 5.56 NATO cartridge.
The average Afghani had less than a fifth-grade education and no force-multipliers….
Just saying…could be a problem
I bet the Ukrainians wish they had accumulated 24,000,000 ARs prior to the Communist Russian invasion.
That’s a decent number but still not enough!
Sales spike with the threat of a Democrat in office.
2024 may be the biggest year ever.
Heaven help us.
A recent poll says 50% of those polled said they anticipate a civil war (in the US) in a few years to come… and the BLUE BOYS will not be armed… and that is why our country’s founders wrote the Constitution of the United States and included the 2nd Amendment.
Might be unsafe for a Blue Boy… but I love the US Constitution and will support and defend it to the END!!!
Blue Dog
It’s only the morons who are unsafe, not the machine. From your comment, I assume you are a moron! I also assume from your handle you are also a liberal democrat, though I repeat myself.
The unsafe at any speed remark is a reference to an influential book from the 1970s.
I am a liberal Democrat, yes, and you share your user name with my dog. Are you Blue Dog’s dog? Winter, is that you? ;þ
Yeah, the Corvair. Not really that much different from any other vehicle of the time, but Ralph Nader wanted to make a point. Winters’ point is still valid. Similar to the current fear of black rifles. They look scary, so we need to get rid of them. On the plus side, I was able to sell my Hillary Clinton model MAK-90 for more than four times what I paid for it, since the useless thumbhole stock is now a collector’s item.
Liberal democrat is the name of the mental illness infecting these morons.
Well … either that’s a TYPO… or I need to go but a new Hunting Rifle …
I’ll go get a new one… just in case… I hear the 6.5 is a NICE round … MOVE OVER .270 !!!
And still unsafe at any speed!