The Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund has published an updated version of its “Who is Manufacturing the Guns Used in Crimes?” report, which provides new insights about the gun industry and its role in arming criminals derived from crime gun recoveries in 34 U.S. cities over the past five years.1A “crime gun” is any firearm used in a crime or identified by law enforcement as suspected of having been used in a crime. As with the initial version of the report published in January 2023, Glock was once again named the top manufacturer of crime guns, followed by Taurus, Smith & Wesson, and Ruger.
For years, the public knew very little about which manufacturers’ guns were most commonly found at crime scenes. But Everytown’s reports — in addition to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment — have revealed that a small number of manufacturers produce a large proportion of crime guns.
To learn more about the firearm supply chain and how gun makers deny knowledge of their guns’ use in crimes, click here.
key findings ABOUT CRIME GUNS
Everytown’s updated “Who is Manufacturing the Guns Used in Crimes?” report utilizes data from its coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The data received included 178,218 crime guns recovered in 34 U.S. cities over the past five years.
- Of the over 11,000 licensed gun manufacturers in the United States, four companies accounted for over 40% of the guns recovered in crimes in 2023: Glock (18.4%), Taurus (9.3%), Smith & Wesson (9.2%), and Ruger (4.7%).
- The previous report found that these same four manufacturers produced over half of the crime guns recovered in 2021: Glock (21.1%), Smith & Wesson (13.5%), Taurus (13%), and Ruger (7%).
- Glock pistols were recovered from crime scenes twice as often as the second-leading manufacturer, Taurus.
- Glock pistols were also the most common crime gun recovered in 28 of the 34 cities in this dataset.
- Similarly, the ATF also identified Glock as the top manufacturer of crime pistols recovered and traced across the country between 2017 and 2021, representing 19.6% of all recoveries in that category.
- The number of Polymer80 ghost guns recovered by law enforcement increased nearly 1,200% over the past five years but showed signs of decline in 2023.
- The decrease in ghost guns may be attributed to litigation, the ATF’s ghost gun rule, and state laws banning ghost guns. To learn more, click here.
- Polymer80 recently shut down in the face of pressure from cities, states, and private litigants, among others. It is unclear whether the company will be reconstituted.
- Twenty cities reported recovering more than 560 machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) in 2023, at least two-thirds of which were “Glock switches” designed by third parties for Glock-style pistols.
- With a switch installed, Glocks can fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute.
- Police have said that a Glock switch was used in the recent Birmingham mass shooting.
- President Biden recently announced new measures to crack down on MCDs and 3D-printed ghost guns, among other initiatives.
recommendations
The report notes several solutions to stop the flow of illegal guns. For example, the report recommends that gun makers require that dealers adhere to public codes of conduct and suspend contracts with those who violate them; track and monitor ATF tracing requests and end relationships with dealers that account for a higher percentage of crime guns; regularly audit dealers to ensure their regulatory compliance; and develop safer firearms that cannot be converted into machine guns.
The report also offers specific recommendations for federal, state, and local governments to strengthen gun industry oversight.
Finally, the report ends with a dire warning: “The data is clear: The same manufacturers who are engaging in risky business practices to profit the most from gun sales are also behind the most gun crimes and violence in U.S. cities. The industry can no longer pretend that it has no knowledge of, or responsibility for, how its products are sold and used. Now it must change its practices to prioritize the safety of our communities.”