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Surge in US firearms imports in 2020

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new report estimates that the US in 2020 saw a 60% increase in personal firearm imports, compared to the same category of imports in 2019. Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting (SAAF) reported an estimated 6.4 million handgun and long-gun units were imported in 2020, a surge from 4.0 million in 2019. SAAF said its import estimates are based on raw data obtained from the International Trade Commission.

According to the SAAF report, the increase in imports is consistent with the estimated 22.8 million guns sold last year. “Imports thus supplied 28% of U.S. firearms demand,” SAAF said in its report.

SAAF lists the top-10 countries of origin for firearms as: Turkey, Austria, Brazil, Croatia, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, China, and the Philippines. These countries together account for 92% of firearms imports last year, SAAF said.

SAAF also notes in its report that the US last year imported some 3.5 billion units of munitions: “cartridges, shells, with or without projectiles, and their parts.” In regard to munitions, SAAF listed the top-10 countries of origin as Russia, Mexico, Italy, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Serbia, South Korea, Hungary, Israel, and the Philippines.

Commenting on US imports of guns and ammunition, SAAF Chief Economist Jurgen Brauer said in his organization’s report that: “Over the past several decades firearms and ammunition imports have come to play an important role in the U.S. industry’s competitive landscape and firearms brand names such as Beretta, Glock, Sig Sauer, and Taurus have become well-established in the U.S. market.”