ATF's Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Reports (1998-2011)

The following is a link to the ATF's manufacturing and export reports for firearms. I'm posting this purely to give perspective on what stricter "gun control" would, or imo would not do. Any additional facts/figures please feel free to add to this thread. The reports are in .pdf format going back to 1998 through 2011 (shown below). I don't believe 2012 has been tallied for obvious reasons.

ATF (AFMER)



I would just like to point out one personal observation. Barring the number of guns that weren't disposed/destroyed as well as the exports, even if a law were passed this minute banning the sale of all guns from hence forth, how would they ever completely get rid of all the guns currently in circulation? And, this is just counting the manufacturers that are regulated by the ATF, this doesn't account for guns that have been illegally smuggled into the U.S.

It seems like a long shot at best (pardon the pun) that there will ever truly be any actual "gun control" to the extent of keeping them out of a citizen's hands whether law abiding or not and whether a U.S. citizen or not.

You can add a few million assault weapons that were in storage during the assault weapons ban, but weren't sold until after 2004.

reply to post by bjax9er


A little more on that for those interested:

ANALYSIS AIR DATE: Sept. 13, 2004

Federal Assault Weapons Ban Expires

SUMMARY

A 10-year-old law banning 19 types of semiautomatic weapons expired today. Jim Lehrer gets two perspectives in the debate over the need for the law from Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske and Wayne LaPierre, CEO and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.

Source: PBS.org (link to streaming video of that episode available via source link)