America’s gun culture by the numbers

Edition: US - Today's top story: How the firearms industry influences US gun culture, in 6 charts [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 24 February 2018 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note In 2016, more than 10 million guns were produced in the U.S. Close to half were pistols. That’s telling, says Michael Siegel of Boston University. More and more Americans are in the market for guns designed for self-defense and concealed carry, thanks in part to a focused marketing effort by the gun industry. Siegel explores [what else the data says about our nation’s changing gun culture](. Four decades ago, the National Rifle Association transformed from a group that mainly focused on hunting and other recreational gun-related activities into a conservative powerhouse apt to reject all restrictions on firearms. Although the group has gotten its way most of the time since that turning point, “[the NRA does not always win](” gun control battles, writes political scientist Robert Spitzer. And no matter how loudly it rejects the calls from the Florida teens who survived their high school’s tragedy for new limits on gun ownership, this might be one of those losing battles. Aviva Rutkin Big Data + Applied Mathematics Editor Top stories AR-15-style rifles on display in a Texas retail shop. AP Photo/Lisa Marie Pane [How the firearms industry influences US gun culture, in 6 charts]( Michael Siegel, Boston University Gunmakers should be at the center of any discussion of the root causes of violence, and a closer look at firearms sales reveals some interesting trends. Late actor and former National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston held a rifle aloft at a 2002 get-out-the-vote rally. 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