$1b revenue taken in amid gun massacres

Gunmakers in the United States have taken in more than $1 billion from selling AR-15 style rifles over the past decade, weapons that have been used in recent shooting massacres, a House of Representatives investigation unveiled on Wednesday.

The investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform focused on five major gunmakers and found that they took in a combined total of more than $1 billion in revenue over the past 10 years from the sale of AR-15 style firearms.

The hearing was held amid a push by House Democrats to get legislation passed that would ban certain semi-automatic weapons. In at least seven of 15 mass shootings in the US this year, AR-15 style weapons were used, according to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database.

The chief executives of two leading gun manufacturers－Daniel Defense and Sturm, Ruger and Cosaid mass shootings are "local problems" that cannot be blamed on "inanimate" firearms when asked by the House panel on Wednesday if they accept responsibility for selling the assault-style rifles used in most of the recent shooting massacres.

The weapons have been used in recent massacres, including the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings.

The committee said some ads by the gun sellers mimic popular first-person shooter video games or tout the weapons' military pedigree, while others say the guns will put buyers "at the top of the testosterone food chain".

'Disturbing, exploitative'

Those sales tactics are "deeply disturbing, exploitative and reckless", New York Democratic Representative Carolyn Maloney said. "In short, the gun industry is profiting off the blood of innocent Americans," she said.

Daniel Defense and Sturm, Ruger and Co tripled their revenues from the weapons over the past three years, the committee found. Daniel Defense increased revenue from $40 million in 2019 to more than $120 million last year. The company sells weapons like the one used in Uvalde on credit and advertises that financing can be approved "in seconds".

Sturm, Ruger and Co's gross revenue has nearly tripled from $39 million to $103 million since 2019.

Smith& Wesson reported that its revenue from all long guns doubled from 2019 to 2021. Gun manufacturers, the committee said, do not gather or analyze safety data related to firearms. About 8.5 million people bought guns for the first time in 2020, said Georgia Republican Representative Jody Hice. "American people have a right to own guns," he said. Agencies contributed to this story.