From jobs to political contributions to ownership, the firearms sector spans the United States

By Sarah Lazare / AlterNet

We can’t truly address the epidemic of gun violence in the United States without taking a hard look at America’s deep-rooted economic dependence on the arms and ammunitions industry.

The firearms sector spans the country, including jobs, political contributions and ownership. According to one analysis, in 2014 alone the guns and ammunitions industry pumped almost $43 billion into the economy.

Gun manufacturers have emphasized their roles as job creators to justify their wide presence—and their power. Of course, they do not mention the high financial cost of gun violence, nor the immeasurable human loss.

From police killings to mass shootings, the disturbing—and often racialized—nature of gun violence in America is garnering concern and some limited reforms. Meanwhile, many argue that the heft of this industry is precisely the problem, pointing to the need for economic transformation that provides real alternatives to an increasingly deadly sector.

A new report from the personal finance website WalletHub provides a state-by-state breakdown of gun industry-dependence, citing data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Here are the top four states where the gun industry has a stranglehold on the lives, and the livelihoods of Americans.

1. New Hampshire leads the country in firearms-related jobs per capita, coming in at a stunning seven times that of Washington DC. The state also has the greatest total industry output per capita. Home to large-scale companies like Sturm, Ruger & Co., as well as smaller defense contractors, New Hampshire is peppered with gun and ammunition manufacturers. Notably, when it comes to gun ownership, New Hampshire comes in 47th in the country.

2. Idaho comes in right behind New Hampshire, with the second highest number of firearm industry jobs per capita. However, WalletHub places the state number one in overall gun dependence, thanks to its industry, gun prevalence and “gun politics” ranking. Notably, Idaho comes in 25th in the country in wages and benefits among those employed by the industry, raising questions about how ordinary people are faring amid the state’s heavy dependence. In 2013, Gov. Butch Otter infamously touted the state’s low wages in a bid to attract gun manufactuers.

3. New Mexico is number one in exploitation, with workers in the firearms industry suffering the lowest wages and benefits in the nation, at three times less than their counterparts in Washington DC. Pay is suppressed in a state grappling with soaring unemployment and the highest child poverty rate in the country. At a time when many are hurting, the arms and ammunitions industry is paying far short of a living wage.

4. Alaska comes in second in overall gun dependence, but number one in private ownership. The state is followed in ownership by Arkansas, Idaho, West Virginia, and Wyoming, all of them majority rural. According to the study, gun ownership in Alaska is a stunning 12 times that of Delaware.

WalletHub has its own national assessment of gun dependence, based on evaluation of the gun industry, politics and prevalence. Here is its ranking from most to least dependent.

Idaho
Alaska
Montana
South Dakota
Arkansas
Wyoming
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Kentucky
Alabama
North Dakota
West Virginia
Mississippi
Utah
Indiana
Oregon
Colorado
South Carolina
Kansas
Connecticut
Tennessee
Louisiana
Missouri
Wisconsin
Vermont
Nebraska
New Mexico
Texas
Oklahoma
Illinois
Iowa
Arizona
Nevada
Pennsylvania
Florida
Georgia
North Carolina
Massachusetts
Virginia
Ohio
District of Columbia
Washington
Hawaii
Maine
Michigan
California
Maryland
New York
New Jersey
Rhode Island
Delaware

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Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for Common Dreams, Sarah co-edited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare.