Americans Bought More Than 200 Million Firearms in 20 Years

Since the turn of the century, American gun manufacturers have made more than 139 million firearms, most of which have been sold in the United States. Exports in that period amounted to 7.5 million units.

According to a study by the US Department of Justice, an additional 71 million firearms were imported from abroad in those 20 years.

According to the report, arms production is growing year on year. While just under 4 million firearms were produced in 2000, in 2020, there were 11.3 million. The number of registered producers also increased, from over 2000 to almost 17,000. The most popular are small arms such as pistols and revolvers.

The researchers are also concerned about so-called ghost guns, weapons that are put together at home from parts bought online or with 3D printers. In 2021, police seized 19,344 such weapons, the investigation said.

The number of deaths from gun violence also increased. In 2020, it reached its highest level in more than 25 years, with 6.1 fatalities per 100,000 population. The Justice Department’s investigation comes after a weekend of shootings. In Buffalo, New York, a right-wing extremist killed ten people and injured three.

In addition, a man shot five churchgoers in California’s Laguna Woods and shootings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, left 20 people injured by bullets one night.