Press & Media

Ryan Cleckner is the founder of RocketFFL, a firearms attorney who specializes in federal firearms law and ATF compliance, and the co-founder of Gun University. He has represented hundreds of FFLs across the country, from major manufacturers to small gun shops, and RocketFFL has helped more than 20,000 students.

As a firearms industry executive, Ryan managed federal government relations for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the industry’s trade association. He established and ran the compliance department at Remington Outdoor Company as a Vice President, and served on the board of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI).

Before law school, Ryan was a special operations sniper team leader with the U.S. Army’s 1st Ranger Battalion (1/75) and deployed to combat multiple times. He graduated with honors from Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he was a Dean’s Scholar, and is a former university professor who taught constitutional law.

He’s the bestselling author of the Long Range Shooting Handbook (over 250,000 copies sold) and Advanced Long Range Shooting.

He also co-founded FFLSafe, free ATF compliance software (A&D book) for FFLs.

How to refer to Ryan: Ryan Cleckner, firearms attorney and founder of RocketFFL.

• FFL licensing: the types of FFLs, who needs one, the application, and the ATF interview.
• SOT and NFA: SOT classes, suppressors, machine guns and other NFA firearms, and manufacturing.
• ATF compliance and inspections: recordkeeping, inspections, and what happens when an FFL gets crosswise with the ATF.
• ATF rules and federal gun law: proposed and final ATF rules, the Gun Control Act and National Firearms Act, and new gun law proposals.
• Firearms industry data: how many FFLs there are, how many guns are made in the U.S., who makes them, and what the ATF numbers do and don’t tell you.

He’s also a former sniper instructor, so he can speak to firearms, ballistics, and long range shooting.

Interview formats: Ryan does live TV, on-camera and remote interviews, radio, and podcasts. He’s done all of them.

We publish organized, sourced statistics built from ATF data. Use them.

• U.S. Firearms Industry Statistics: gun production by year since 1986, the largest manufacturers, production by state, calibers, and exports, from the ATF Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report (AFMER).
• ATF / FFL Statistics Center: the number of FFLs by year, by license type, and by state.

Download the data (CSV)

The firearms industry statistics page has CSV downloads for every major table, including U.S. firearms manufactured by year (1986 to 2024), the largest manufacturers (2024), and production by state (2024).

How to cite RocketFFL

• U.S. House Judiciary Committee: testified at the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing, May 22, 2024, on examples of ATF over-reach (written testimony, PDF).
• U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee: testified at a hearing on bump stocks and other conversion devices (video).
• Fox News: guest on Tucker Carlson Tonight on the ATF’s “ghost gun” rule and on new gun control proposals, and an appearance with Bret Baier.
• History Channel: featured sniper expert on Top Shot.
• Contributing author: RECOIL Magazine and The Federalist.
• Podcast host: Going Ballistic and Trigger Words.
• Hillsdale College: invited speaker on federal agency authority.

• RocketFFL logo (SVG). Please write the name as one word: RocketFFL.
• Headshot of Ryan Cleckner (PNG)
• Ryan Cleckner testifying before Congress (JPG)

Need other photos or logo files? Use our contact form and choose “Press inquiry.” They’re available on request.

Use our contact form and choose “Press inquiry.” Press requests are prioritized. To help us get you the right answer, include:

• Your name, outlet, and the best way to reach you
• Your deadline (with time zone)
• The topic or question, and whether you need data, a quote, or an interview
• The format: live TV, on camera, remote video, radio, podcast, phone, or written Q&A

You can also find RocketFFL on X, Facebook, and Instagram, and Ryan at ryancleckner.com.

Send a press inquiry →

Can I use your statistics in my story?

Yes. Everything on our statistics pages is free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0). We ask, but don’t require, that you credit “RocketFFL” with a link to the page you used. See How to cite RocketFFL above.

Where does your data come from?

From ATF publications: the Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report (AFMER) for production and exports, and ATF licensing data for FFL counts. Each table on our statistics pages lists its source.

What kinds of interviews does Ryan do?

Ryan does live TV, on-camera and remote interviews, radio, and podcasts. He’s done all of them. He has also testified before Congress. Tell us the format you need when you choose “Press inquiry” on the contact form.

How should I identify Ryan?

Ryan Cleckner, firearms attorney and founder of RocketFFL.