NCJ Number
152881
Date Published
1994
Length
109 pages
Annotation
This report describes a small group of handgun manufacturers in Southern California known as the Ring of Fire manufacturers and recommends that firearm violence prevention advocates recognize the importance of affecting the manufacture and distribution of firearms as well as the behavior of people who use them.
Abstract
Ring of Fire companies producing a significant number of Saturday Night Specials include Arcadia Machine and Tool, Davis Industries, Lorcin Engineering, Phoenix Arms, Sundance Industries, and Bryco Arms. In 1992, Ring of Fire companies produced 685,934 handguns, 34 percent of all handguns made in the United States. Between 1990 and 1992, handgun production by these companies increased by more than 20 percent yearly, while handgun output declined for the rest of the industry. Ring of Fire companies dominate the production of easily concealable, inexpensive handguns. Firearms experts consider most Ring of Fire handguns to be poorly made, unreliable, and in some cases unsafe. The handguns are marketed primarily as a reliable means of personal protection, but they are disproportionately used in crime. Ring of Fire manufacturers and other Saturday Night Special makers represent a protected industry in the United States. Yet, Federal law prohibits the importation of poorly made, easily concealable handguns by imposing size, design, and performance standards. The author recommends that California require handguns made in its jurisdiction to meet criteria applied to imports and that local jurisdictions have the authority to control the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns. Appendixes contain a list of other Southern California handgun manufacturers, a primer on guns, and a list of elected representatives. References, tables, figures, and photographs