U.S. gun makers have produced more than 139 million guns for sale over the past 20 years, including 11.3 million in 2020, according to a Justice Department report released Tuesday.
71 million firearms were imported in the same period, while only 7.5 million firearms were exported, a sign of the flood of firearms available in the country that has led to an increase in shootings, killings and suicides, according to the study. of the government.
The arms industry has really exploded: while in 2000 the country had only 2,222 arms manufacturing companies in operation, in 2020, there were 16,963, according to the same source.
Annual production of firearms for commercial sale also jumped, from 3.9 million in 2000 to 11.3 million firearms in 2020, reaching 11.9 million in 2016.
The document shows that while Americans had a preference for semi-automatic weapons, used in many hunting, they primarily purchased the 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which was considered inexpensive, accurate and easy to use and similar to the weapon. used by the police.
Authorities are also facing an increase in so -called weapons ghostsweapon kits that can be made at home for several hundred dollars and its parts can be purchased online or made by a 3D printer.
Unlike factory -made guns, they do not have a serial number and, since they are not considered firearms throughout the sale process, do not require a license or gun license. submit the buyer to a criminal and psychiatric background check.
According to the report, in 2021 police recovered 19,344 so -called firearms. ghostscompared to 1758 in 2016.
In April, U.S. President Joe Biden tightened regulations surrounding this type of weapon, specifically the obligation for sellers of such kits to conduct a background check on potential buyers or include a serial number on constituent parts. .
We can only address the current development of violence if we have the best information available and we will use the most effective tools and analysis to stimulate our efforts. said U.S. Department of Justice number two, Lisa Monaco, in a statement.
The publication of this report comes after a weekend of intense violence in the United States with two shootings: one was due to the race in Buffalo, New York, which killed ten African Americans, and one in Los Angeles, California where one person was killed and five others were injured.
The number of gun deaths in the United States has risen historic in 2020, possibly caused by the epidemic effects and poverty of COVID-19, according to a report from U.S. health authorities published last week.
The country counted 19,350 homicides in 2020, an increase of nearly 35% compared to 2019, and 24,245 suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
The homicide rate will be at 6.1 per 100,000 population in 2020, a record for more than 25 years.
Source: Radio-Canada
