{"id":45947,"date":"2022-07-27T19:57:07","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T19:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/07\/27\/gunmakers-made-1-billion-selling-ar-15s-to-civilians-study-finds\/"},"modified":"2022-07-27T19:57:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T19:57:07","slug":"gunmakers-made-1-billion-selling-ar-15s-to-civilians-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/07\/27\/gunmakers-made-1-billion-selling-ar-15s-to-civilians-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Gunmakers made $1 billion selling AR-15s to civilians, study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Major U.S. gun makers that market a weapon used in several mass shootings have made more than $1 billion in revenue from selling firearms to civilians over the past 10 years, according to a report released Wednesday. <\/p>\n

Five manufacturers — Daniel Defense, Smith & Wesson, Sturm Ruger, Sig Sauer and Bushmaster Firearms — collectively sell thousands of military-style semiautomatic rifles to civilians each year, the House Oversight and Reform Committee found.<\/p>\n

The marketing of AR-15s has come under scrutiny from lawmakers and gun safety advocates after several mass shootings involving the firearm, including the Uvalde shoots<\/span> which left 19 children and 2 teachers dead. The shootings have renewed calls for regulations that would ban or restrict sales of AR-15s, with a recent complaint claiming<\/span> firearms are marketed to teenagers and young adults “who are drawn to violence and military fantasies.”<\/p>\n

Gun manufacturers appearing at a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday defended their products, blaming “evil” people for the deaths in recent shootings involving firearms. <\/p>\n

“I am deeply disturbed by these horrific acts by evil people,” said Marty Daniels, CEO of Defense Daniel<\/span>whose firearm was used in the Uvalde shoots<\/span>. He later added, “I think these murders are local problems that need to be solved locally.”<\/p>\n

In a prepared statement, Daniels said he was concerned the hearing would focus on a “type of firearm that was used in less than 4 percent of homicides involving firearms in 2019.”<\/p>\n

While gun manufacturers are profiting from the growing popularity of AR-15 firearms, gunshot victims and their families are facing the equivalent in hospital bills. A separate report released last week by the US Congress’ Joint Economic Committee found victims of gun violence and their families paying over a billion dollars a year<\/span> in medical expenses. <\/p>\n

Increase in arms sales<\/h2>\n

The report said its findings are based on data provided by five gun manufacturers whose weapons have been used in mass shootings. Georgia-based Daniel Defense tripled its revenue from AR-15-style rifles to more than $120 million last year from $40 million in 2019, the House committee found.<\/p>\n

Ruger’s earnings from those guns did about the same, nearly tripling to $103 million in 2021 from $39 million two years earlier, the report noted. Smith & Wesson’s revenue from all long guns, including AR-15-style rifles, more than doubled to $253 million from $108 million in that same time, he said. <\/p>\n

AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles and similar firearms are sold on credit by companies that do not track or monitor related deaths or injuries, but instead market the guns to young men as a way to display their masculinity, the panel said in summarizing its investigation into the sale and marketing of assault weapons. <\/p>\n

“The business practices of these gun manufacturers are deeply disturbing, exploitative and reckless,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, who chairs the committee, said in a statement. “These companies use aggressive marketing tactics to target young people, especially young men.”<\/p>\n

Gun control advocates recently filed a complaint<\/span> with the Federal Trade Commission calling for an investigation into Daniel Defense’s marketing practices, saying the company targets young people like shooter Uvalde through first-person shooter video games like “Call of Duty” and through ‘social media images with pop culture. elements that are attractive to teenagers and children.<\/p>\n

\u2014With a report by Aimee Picchi.<\/em><\/p>\n

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