HOUSTON — As mass shootings in the United States surged over the past decade, U.S. House lawmakers are revealing how much money assault rifle gun manufacturers have collected.
Five gun companies collected more than $1 billion over the last decade from the sale of military-style assault weapons to civilians, the House Oversight panel found.
“This is an ultra-deadly weapon engineered to kill enemy soldiers on the battlefield yet the gun industry has flooded our neighborhoods, our schools and even our churches and synagogues with these deadly weapons and has gotten rich doing it,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the committee, said. “Gun violence is now the top killer of children in the United States causing more deaths in children than car accidents."
The committee linked the five companies to mass shootings across the country, including Texas, and broke down how much each made.
Smith & Wesson: $659 million
Their assault rifles were used to kill seven people at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park near Chicago; 17 students and staff in Parkland, Florida; and 14 people at a Christmas party in San Bernardino, California.
Daniel Defense $528 million
Their assault rifles were used in the Uvalde school shooting where 19 students and two teachers died.
The gunman who killed 60 people at a concert in Las Vegas also used their rifle.
Ruger: $514 million
Their manufactured assault rifle was used in the Sutherland Springs, Texas shooting where 25 people died in a church.
The company also made the gun used to kill 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.
Bushmaster $2.9 million in 2021
The company only provided profits for 2021. Their assault rifles were used to murder 20 children and six adults in the Sandy Hook school shooting. The gunman also killed his mother. He took his own life after the shootings.
The shooter who killed 10 people in a Buffalo, New York supermarket also used a Bushmaster.
The committee led by Democrats included statements by families of gun violence victims.
“This picture was taken on her first communion on May 10. Sixteen days later, she was shot and killed using a Daniel Defense AR-15,” Jazmin Cazares, the sister of a Uvalde shooting victim, said.
Republicans on the panel pushed back against criticism of gun manufacturers and assault rifles.
“I will continue to protect the rights of all law-abiding gun owners who safely use, store and carry firearms, including the AR-15, which is the most popular rifle in the United States,” Rep. James Comer, the committee’s ranking member, said.
GOP lawmakers say the constitution is clear.
“What did the American firearm industry do wrong, their customers are allowed to lawfully buy guns, their customers are allowed to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for their protection and other lawful purposes,” Comer said.
The CEO of Daniel Defense said the solution to gun violence is not to take away weapons.
“I’m sharing my views today to help ensure that the voices of law-abiding citizens and gun owners are understood by this committee," CEO Marty Daniel said. "I am concerned, however, that the states implied purpose of this hearing is to vilify, blame and try to ban over $24 million sporting rifles already in circulation."
Even if the committee moves to ban AR-15s and it passes the House, it would likely be dead on arrival in the Senate.