Only 10 colleges in the entire country offer a gunsmithing program and none exist in Arkansas. The nearest programs is in Oklahoma.
Guns and the Arkansas Economy
Guns are very important to Arkansas’s economy:
60% of Arkansans own at least 1 gun.
- Arkansas’ firearms and ammunition industry employed more than 6,000 local workers who collectively earned more than $281 million in 2017,
- Arkansas duck hunting brought in more than $100,000,000 in 60 days in 2009,
- More than 20,600 law enforcement officers were employed in Arkansas in 2016,
- In 2018, the City of Jonesboro invested $10 million in a shooting range and education center,
These industries and several others require gunsmiths to maintain, fix, and modify their guns.
Shortage of Gunsmithing Programs
Truly, gunsmithing is a specialized occupation. However, with only 11 academically accredited programs in the nation–and a handful of online, do-it-yourself, or correspondence schools available–the need for gunsmithing programs is real.
- Murry State University in Oklahoma has 10 times the number of applicants as spots in its program. Potential students come from all of the world to attend classes.
- Pittsburgh Gunsmith School in Pennsylvania has a two-year waiting list.
- Yavapai College reported in 2006 that it and all of the 4 other gunsmithing schools could not accommodate the demand for slots in the classroom.