|
|
No Deal
The Drop in Federally Licensed Firearms
Dealers in America
The Drop in Gun Dealers
As a result of the
new licensing requirements and ATF's increased scrutiny of licensees,
the number of Type 1 FFLs in the United States has dropped 74 percent—from
245,628 in 1994 to 63,881 in 2002. California leads the nation with
a 16,905 reduction in dealers, declining from 20,148 to 3,243—a decrease
of 84 percent.8
As the number of
dealers in the United States has dropped, the percentage of kitchen-table
dealers has also fallen. In 1998, 56 percent of Type 1 FFLs operated
out of residential premises, down from 74 percent in 1992. The number
of inactive FFLs has dropped as well. In 1998, 31 percent of licensees
had not sold a gun in the previous year, down from 46 percent in 1992.9
| State |
Total of Type 1 Federal
Firearms License (FFL)
Holders, January 1994 |
Total of Type 1 Federal
Firearms License (FFL)
Holders, February 2001 |
Total of Type 1 Federal
Firearms License (FFL)
Holders, April 2002 |
Number Decrease From 1994
to 2002 |
Percent Decrease From 1994
to 2002 |
| Alabama |
3,235 |
973 |
879 |
2,356 |
73% |
| Alaska |
3,137 |
1,047 |
977 |
2,160 |
69% |
| Arizona |
4,178 |
1,224 |
1,160 |
3,018 |
72% |
| Arkansas |
3,096 |
811 |
793 |
2,303 |
74% |
| California |
20,148 |
3,495 |
3,243 |
16,905 |
84% |
| Colorado |
4,248 |
1,245 |
1,210 |
3,038 |
72% |
| Connecticut |
3,334 |
628 |
590 |
2,744 |
82% |
| Delaware |
507 |
124 |
119 |
388 |
77% |
| Florida |
9,970 |
2,161 |
1,911 |
8,059 |
81% |
| Georgia |
5,589 |
1,472 |
1,384 |
4,205 |
75% |
| Hawaii |
820 |
138 |
115 |
705 |
86% |
| Idaho |
2,295 |
806 |
768 |
1,527 |
67% |
| Illinois |
8,959 |
2,315 |
2,241 |
6,718 |
75% |
| Indiana |
5,872 |
1,857 |
1,767 |
4,105 |
70% |
| Iowa |
3,877 |
1,340 |
1,301 |
2,576 |
66% |
| Kansas |
3,653 |
1,095 |
1,049 |
2,604 |
71% |
| Kentucky |
4,679 |
1,266 |
1,259 |
3,420 |
73% |
| Louisiana |
4,864 |
1,170 |
1,204 |
3,660 |
75% |
| Maine |
2,189 |
567 |
566 |
1,623 |
74% |
| Maryland |
3,232 |
724 |
666 |
2,566 |
79% |
| Massachusetts |
3,851 |
791 |
727 |
3,124 |
81% |
| Michigan |
12,076 |
3,147 |
3,016 |
9,060 |
75% |
| Minnesota |
5,741 |
1,885 |
1,799 |
3,942 |
69% |
| Mississippi |
3,080 |
986 |
983 |
2,097 |
68% |
| Missouri |
7,624 |
2,238 |
2,267 |
5,357 |
70% |
| Montana |
3,058 |
1,159 |
1,110 |
1,948 |
64% |
| Nebraska |
2,688 |
795 |
749 |
1,939 |
72% |
| Nevada |
1,952 |
502 |
472 |
1,480 |
76% |
| New Hampshire |
1,565 |
517 |
535 |
1,030 |
66% |
| New Jersey |
1,645 |
456 |
418 |
1,227 |
75% |
| New Mexico |
1,909 |
654 |
640 |
1,269 |
66% |
| New York |
9,726 |
2,510 |
2,419 |
7,307 |
75% |
| North Carolina |
6,466 |
1,710 |
1,680 |
4,786 |
74% |
| North Dakota |
1,619 |
531 |
503 |
1,116 |
69% |
| Ohio |
9,464 |
2,821 |
2,776 |
6,688 |
71% |
| Oklahoma |
4,024 |
1,132 |
1,090 |
2,934 |
73% |
| Oregon |
4,995 |
1,782 |
1,675 |
3,320 |
66% |
| Pennsylvania |
11,799 |
3,384 |
3,197 |
8,602 |
73% |
| Rhode Island |
567 |
123 |
119 |
448 |
79% |
| South Carolina |
2,332 |
668 |
645 |
1,687 |
72% |
| South Dakota |
1,537 |
505 |
474 |
1,063 |
69% |
| Tennessee |
4,736 |
1,378 |
1,379 |
3,357 |
71% |
| Texas |
18,041 |
4,865 |
4,842 |
13,199 |
73% |
| Utah |
2,113 |
605 |
578 |
1,535 |
73% |
| Vermont |
1,556 |
447 |
409 |
1,147 |
74% |
| Virginia |
6,942 |
1,793 |
1,735 |
5,207 |
75% |
| Washington |
5,724 |
1,237 |
1,135 |
4,589 |
80% |
| West Virginia |
3,234 |
984 |
918 |
2,316 |
72% |
| Wisconsin |
5,953 |
1,850 |
1,805 |
4,148 |
70% |
| Wyoming |
1,729 |
607 |
584 |
1,145 |
66% |
| Total |
245,628 |
66,520 |
63,881 |
181,747 |
74% |
Back
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All contents © 2002 Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation
that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction
policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America,
conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease
firearm-related death and injury. |