How Many Guns Are Sold in the U.S. Annually?

An estimated 15,500,825 firearms were sold in the United States in 2025, a 4 percent decrease from 2024's total of 16,171,072. It marks the fifth straight year that estimated gun sales have fallen since hitting a modern peak in 2020.

Since estimated firearm sales peaked in 2020, rates have declined every year. In 2020, there was a surge in gun purchases due to uncertainty caused by the pandemic, national social and political unrest, and economic instability. The COVID-19 pandemic and widespread unrest across the U.S. intensified concerns about personal safety, freedom, and security. Additionally, the contentious 2020 presidential election and fears of potential changes to gun control laws further fueled the increase in firearm purchases.

Early data from 2026 suggests that the multi-year slide may be leveling off. In the first six months of 2026, an estimated 7,736,306 guns were sold nationwide, a three percent increase over the same six-month period in 2025. That uptick is modest, and it's too early in the year to say whether 2026 will end up higher than 2025, but it is the first meaningful year-over-year gain in half-year sales since the 2020 pandemic surge.

Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming Lead the Nation in Population-Adjusted Gun Sale Rates

When looking at total gun sales, large states like Texas, Florida, California, and Pennsylvania continue to lead the pack. Thanks to their population size alone, these states account for a significant share of nationwide firearm purchases.

However, when adjusting for population, a different trend emerges. In 2025, the states with the highest gun sales rates per 100 residents aged 21 and over were Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and New Hampshire, the same five states, in a slightly different order, that topped the list in 2024. These states have strong hunting traditions fostered by rural lifestyles and less rigid gun control laws. The pro-gun cultures and the need for self-defense in remote areas, which abound in predators that could harm livestock, may also contribute to higher gun ownership and sales.

States with the highest population-adjusted gun sale rates in 2025

The southern and central states of Alabama, Oklahoma, and West Virginia also had some of the highest gun sales rates in the country. These states have relatively permissive gun ownership laws, which make it easier for residents to obtain firearms. None of them requires a permit to purchase a firearm, and none imposes a waiting period.

On the other end of the spectrum, the states with the lowest gun sale rates compared to population size in 2025 were Washington D.C., Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

States with the lowest population-adjusted gun sale rates in 2025

More than likely, the relatively low number of firearm sales in Washington D.C., New York, and New Jersey is a product of these jurisdictions' strong gun laws, which include required background checks, red flag laws, and, in some cases, handgun purchase permits. Higher population density, urbanization, and broad public support for gun regulation in these places also contribute to lower gun sales.

Interestingly, two states on this low-sales-rate list, Iowa and Rhode Island, also appear among the fastest-growing states for gun sales this year (see below). That's not necessarily a contradiction: both states started from a small base of per capita sales, so a modest number of additional purchases can still translate into a large percentage increase without meaningfully changing their overall ranking.

States With Rising Gun Sales Rates

Between 2024 and 2025, only nine states had a year-over-year increase in total estimated gun sales, a smaller group than the 15 states that posted gains the year before. Five states stood out for their particularly sharp upticks: Rhode Island, Nevada, New York, Washington, and Iowa.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island posted the largest year-over-year increase in the nation, with sales climbing an estimated 26 percent between 2024 and 2025. The jump lines up with more than a year of legislative back-and-forth over an assault weapons ban that Rhode Island lawmakers had debated for over a decade. Governor Dan McKee ultimately signed the Assault Weapons Ban Act in June 2025, prohibiting the manufacture, purchase, sale, or transfer of certain semiautomatic rifles and shotguns starting July 1, 2026. With the ban's effective date more than a year away and existing owners allowed to keep their firearms, the long buildup to the vote may have prompted Rhode Islanders to buy the newly restricted weapons while they still could.

Nevada

Nevada gun sales rose an estimated 15 percent between 2024 and 2025. Nevada lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 245 in 2025, which would have raised the minimum age to purchase or possess semiautomatic shotguns and centerfire rifles from 18 to 21, but Governor Joe Lombardo vetoed the measure, just as he had vetoed a similar bill in 2023. With that restriction turned away and Nevada's underlying gun laws left unchanged, the state's permissive purchasing environment for young adults appears to have continued supporting sales growth.

New York

New York saw an estimated five percent increase in gun sales between 2024 and 2025, even as Governor Kathy Hochul signed three new gun safety laws in April 2025 targeting rapid-fire pistol converters, dealer safety warnings, and bulk ammunition purchases. New York remains one of the lowest per-capita gun sales states in the country, so a relatively small increase in raw purchases can still register as a meaningful year-over-year percentage gain.

Washington

Washington's estimated gun sales rose 5 percent between 2024 and 2025, a partial rebound after the state's sales collapsed by more than 45 percent the year before following its 2023 ban on the sale of assault-style weapons. In 2025, the state went further, enacting a permit-to-purchase law that will require a live-fire training course before a resident can buy a firearm. Washington's existing assault weapons ban also survived another legal challenge in state court in late 2025, though the group suing to overturn it has vowed to appeal. The modest rebound in sales may reflect the market adjusting to the 2023 ban, even as new purchase requirements loom.

Iowa

Iowa's estimated gun sales grew three percent between 2024 and 2025, continuing a trend from the year before. Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 924 in April 2025, lowering the minimum age to purchase or carry a handgun in Iowa from 21 to 18, effective July 1, 2025. The change opened up handgun ownership to a new pool of legal adults in the back half of the year, building on a series of gun-rights expansions in Iowa in recent years.

States With Sharpest Declines in Gun Sale Rates

Between 2024 and 2025, 42 states experienced declining gun sales, reflecting the broader national trend. Five states, however, saw especially sharp drops: Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Alabama, and Oregon.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts had the sharpest decline in the nation, with estimated sales falling 24 percent between 2024 and 2025. This follows an unusually large 22.5 percent spike the year before, when Massachusetts residents rushed to buy guns ahead of the October 2024 effective date of An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws, which expanded the state's legal definition of a firearm to include unfinished frames, bump stocks, and assault-style weapons. With that preemptive buying wave now behind it and the law fully in effect, 2025 sales appear to be normalizing back toward the state's historic lows.

Michigan

Michigan's estimated gun sales fell 23 percent between 2024 and 2025, extending a decline that began the year before. Michigan has spent the past several years phasing in a package of gun safety reforms, including a 2023 safe storage law, a red flag law that took effect in early 2024, and expanded universal background checks. Use of that red flag law jumped 31 percent in 2025 alone, and the state's “Safe Homes, Safe Schools” initiative, which requires schools to send families information about the state's storage law, took effect in October 2025. The continued rollout and enforcement of these measures may be weighing on sales.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire's estimated gun sales dropped 14 percent between 2024 and 2025, a reversal after the state posted one of the nation's largest increases the year before. New Hampshire has not enacted any new gun safety restrictions of note. However, the state has expanded gun rights in recent years, including a 2024 “guns at work” law that let employees store firearms in locked vehicles at work, which took effect January 1, 2025. With no new restriction to explain the drop, the decline could be more like a correction after 2025's unusually strong prior-year growth.

Alabama

Alabama's estimated gun sales fell 14 percent between 2024 and 2025, as the state passed relatively narrow, targeted firearm legislation. Governor Kay Ivey signed Senate Bill 116 in March 2025, making possession of a “Glock switch” device that converts a handgun into a fully automatic weapon a felony, and later signed Senate Bill 119, which expanded who is barred from possessing a firearm and increased penalties for gun crimes. Neither law restricts sales to the vast majority of lawful buyers, so Alabama's decline could indicate a pullback or correction after the state posted one of the nation's highest per capita sales rates in 2024.

Oregon

Oregon's estimated gun sales declined 11 percent between 2024 and 2025 amid continued legal uncertainty over Ballot Measure 114, the 2022 voter-approved law requiring a permit to purchase a firearm and banning high-capacity magazines. An Oregon appeals court ruled the measure constitutional in March 2025. Then the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 3075 that same year, amending the measure and setting a July 1, 2026 effective date for its permit-to-purchase requirement on dealer transfers. With the law's fate working its way through the courts and a permitting requirement now in effect, some Oregonians may be holding off on purchases, or the drop may simply reflect a pullback after Oregon's recent run of high per capita sales.

Conclusion

After peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, gun sales have declined nationwide for five straight years, though early 2026 data suggests that slide may finally be flattening out. Texas, Florida, and California continue to lead in total sales, while Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming again posted the highest per capita purchases, driven by strong gun culture and comparatively lenient purchase and ownership laws.

Meanwhile, states like Massachusetts, Michigan, and Alabama saw the steepest year-over-year drops, in some cases as previous years' preemptive buying waves faded and in others as new safety measures continued to take hold. These trends underscore the complex interplay between legislation, court rulings, the economy, and public sentiment in shaping gun sales from state to state.

At SafeHome.org, we're committed to promoting safety and security in homes and communities. Understanding these trends is crucial as we strive to inform the public about the factors influencing gun ownership. By analyzing and disseminating this information, we aim to contribute to informed decision-making that enhances safety and well-being for all.

Methodology

The data underlying this examination was procured from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), spanning 2010 through June 2026. To estimate gun sales, we applied a formula derived from the Small Arms Survey by Jurgen Brauer, counting each long firearm and handgun verification as 1.1 purchases and each multiple-gun verification as two acquisitions. Private sale verifications were incorporated, while we omitted permit verifications and other checks. Researchers at the New York Times and BuzzFeed News have also used similar calculations in their past reporting. Data from Hawaii was excluded owing to insufficient information.

By breaking down and scrutinizing this data, we aim to furnish a more precise portrayal of gun sales patterns and their broader ramifications for American society. Our analyses examine annual trends, variations across states, and correlations with legislative and socioeconomic factors. We hope that a deeper evaluation of this information can help policymakers and the public better understand this complex issue.

Data Appendix