Firearms are not a big business

What amazes me about this film and "The Verdict" is the way they make it seem as though the domestic firearm industry was some multi-billion dollar giant. It isn't. There are only a handful of US companies making firearms now, and most are operating on amazingly thin margins. They have very small payrolls and work out of small factories. Even the "big" ones such as Ruger, S&W and Marlin are tiny. Ruger, for example, only makes money by using its tools to make specialty parts for other industries. S&W nearly went under, and currently produces only a limited line. There is no margin for error in firearm manufacturing. Each weapon must be made of top-quality parts with NO flaws in the metal or workmanship. When you're talking about pressures in excess of 60,000 PSI, a screwup is not an option. So every firearm must be checked and re-checked. Then there's another problem. Firearms are so well made that they can last well over a century. That means the used market is HUGE and vibrant. All the modern companies are, in effect, competing with all the firearm makers of the past 100 years. To sell a new Ruger rifle, for example, Ruger must overcome not just tough foreign competition but also the tens of millions of military surplus rifles on the market for 1/5th the price of a new Model 77.