Between 2007 and 2021, commercial gun manufacturing in Maine plummeted 77% while national production shot up 250%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The number of guns produced annually by Maine manufacturers.
Commercial gun manufacturing in Maine dropped 77% in recent years, a decrease that reflects weapons companies' move from the Northeast to the South.
The dramatic decrease is part of a broader trend that has seen gunmakers move from the Northeast to the South, where states offer tax breaks and a more welcoming political climate amid an outcry over increasing mass shootings.