Everytown Releases First-of-its-Kind Report Outlining Gun Dealers Across The Country

Report Reveals a Majority of Licensed Gun Dealers in the U.S. Operate out of Residential Addresses; States with More Gun Dealers Per Capita Have 10 Times Higher Rates of Guns Trafficked Across State Lines and Subsequently Used in a Crime

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund today released a new report, “Inside the Gun Shop: Firearms Dealers and their Impact”, the first-of-its-kind, detailing the facts about licensed gun dealers across the nation, with a map to look up the gun sellers in your neighborhood. In 2022, there were nearly 78,000 licensed gun dealers in the United States, more than all McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway and Wendy’s locations combined.

Everytown’s new research outlines the relationship between gun sellers and gun trafficking: states with the most gun dealers per capita have far higher rates of guns trafficked to another state and subsequently used in a crime. The report also details the prevalence of residential firearms dealers, showing for the first time that a majority of licensed gun dealers in the U.S. operate not out of sporting goods stores or mid-sized retailers, but instead out of residential addresses, with no requirement to inform neighbors. Further, over 9,000 of these residential dealers are licensed to manufacture weapons and accessories such as shotguns, silencers, and ammunition.

“Federal regulations require elevators and restaurants to be inspected annually or more  frequently. Meanwhile, licensed gun dealers can expect an inspection once a decade. This is not a setup to stop the flow of guns to the illegal market,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, Senior Director of Research at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. “This first-of-its-kind report outlines urgent steps at every level to update and modernize standards for licensed dealers and protect our communities.”

“This new analysis paints a clear picture: states with more gun dealers are fueling our gun violence epidemic by allowing guns to fall into dangerous hands,” said Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President of Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “The proliferation of trafficked guns is putting our communities in the line of fire and this report exposes the need for a policy overhaul to reel in bad actors who are helping fuel America’s gun violence crisis.”

Click here to read the new report, “Inside the Gun Shop: Firearms Dealers and their Impact”

Findings from the report include:

• Of the roughly 78,000 gun dealers in the United States, thousands are located near schools, with one in five public elementary schools located within half a mile of a gun shop.
• In 2022, 57 percent of all licensed gun dealers were located at residential addresses, including more than 9,000 dealers licensed to manufacture firearms and ammunition, from handguns and shotguns to silencers and other accessories. 
• There are roughly five incidents per day across the nation where firearms go missing from gun dealers through robbery, burglary, larceny or other loss. Too often these guns are diverted to the illegal market.
• States with the most gun dealers per capita have 10 times higher rates of guns trafficked to another state and subsequently used in a crime, than states with the fewest gun dealers per capita.
• While the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) aims to inspect each licensed dealer every three years, in 2022, they only inspected 9 percent of firearms dealers nationwide, meaning gun dealers are not being inspected or held accountable for violations.
• Operating a store that sells lethal weapons is a weighty responsibility. However, Everytown’s research reveals that the relative cost of obtaining a business license to operate a gun shop is cheaper than the license to operate a restaurant or liquor store.