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Site By Omnibus Creative
April 17th, 2007
Tragedies involving handguns, particularly semi-automatics like the ones apparently used during a massacre of almost three dozen people at Virginia Tech on Monday, often lead to calls for controls over handgun access.
Rarely discussed is the big business involved in imports to quench the American appetite for handguns as well as rifles, shotguns and other weapons.
The leading import destination in the United States for handguns is the Savannah Customs district, followed by Miami and Chicago.
Through the first two months of 2007, total imports of handguns have risen more than 43 percent, according to WorldCity analysis of the most recent U.S. Census data, with most of that increase due to a 128 percent increase through Miami.
In 2006, Savannah accounted for $101 million in imports, followed by Miami with $34 million and Chicago with $33 million.
On an annualized basis, the value of handgun imports rose 62 percent between 2006 and 2003.
Savannah’s weapons come from largely from Austria, where the Glock is manufactured, and Miami’s come from Brazil, where Taurus is the leading manufacturer. Chicago’s handguns tend to come from Croatia.
Through the first two months of the year, 18 nations have sent handguns to the United States, though Austria and Brazil account for 57 percent of the total. In 2006, those two nations accounted for 52 percent of the total, with Germany and Croatia also big suppliers.
| Country | Feb. 2007 YTD | Feb. 2006 YTD | Dollar Change | Percent Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | World Total | $45,289,724 | $31,558,574 | $13,731,150 | 30.32% |
| 1 | Austria | $14,474,589 | $11,504,411 | $2,970,178 | 20.52% |
| 2 | Brazil | $11,376,662 | $5,604,674 | $5,771,988 | 50.74% |
| 3 | Croatia | $5,412,510 | $3,263,384 | $2,149,126 | 39.71% |
| 4 | Germany | $3,617,541 | $2,953,931 | $663,610 | 18.34% |
| 5 | Italy | $2,897,660 | $2,377,643 | $520,017 | 17.95% |
| 6 | Belgium | $1,958,362 | $1,614,011 | $344,351 | 17.58% |
| 7 | Israel | $1,356,752 | $694,380 | $662,372 | 48.82% |
| 8 | Canada | $1,097,539 | $1,212,967 | $(115,428) | -10.52% |
| 9 | Argentina | $938,438 | $805,800 | $132,638 | 14.13% |
| 10 | Czech Republic | $754,830 | $645,320 | $109,510 | 14.51% |
| 11 | Philippines | $710,338 | $320,915 | $389,423 | 54.82% |
| 12 | Hungary | $496,750 | $390,625 | $106,125 | 21.36% |
| 13 | Russia | $147,500 | $- | $147,500 | 100.00% |
| 14 | Ukraine | $14,880 | $6,400 | $8,480 | 56.99% |
| 15 | Poland | $14,763 | $- | $14,763 | 100.00% |
| 16 | Switzerland | $7,405 | $128,766 | $(121,361) | -1638.91% |
| 17 | Turkey | $6,750 | $- | $6,750 | 100.00% |
| 18 | United Kingdom | $6,455 | $5,730 | $725 | 11.23% |
| Rank | District | Feb. 2007 YTD | Feb. 2006 YTD | Dollar Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Districts | $45,289,724 | $31,558,574 | $13,731,150 | 43.51% | |
| 1 | Savannah GA | $16,906,599 | $12,434,285 | $4,472,314 | 35.97% |
| 2 | Miami FL | $10,318,546 | $4,535,016 | $5,783,530 | 127.53% |
| 3 | Chicago IL | $6,498,131 | $4,352,844 | $2,145,287 | 49.28% |
| 4 | St Louis MO | $2,658,135 | $2,214,031 | $444,104 | 20.06% |
| 5 | Washington DC | $2,078,553 | $1,957,587 | $120,966 | 6.18% |
| 6 | Minneapolis MN | $1,356,752 | $660,380 | $696,372 | 105.45% |
| 7 | Buffalo NY | $1,097,539 | $1,212,967 | $(115,428) | -9.52% |
| 8 | New York City NY | $1,043,308 | $1,629,699 | $(586,391) | -35.98% |
| 9 | Los Angeles CA | $736,710 | $377,963 | $358,747 | 94.92% |
| 10 | Boston MA | $579,171 | $564,782 | $14,389 | 2.55% |
| 11 | Portland ME | $576,484 | $730,228 | $(153,744) | -21.05% |
| 12 | New Orleans LA | $466,324 | $- | $466,324 | NA |
| 13 | Baltimore MD | $300,332 | $244,056 | $56,276 | 23.06% |
| 14 | Dallas/Fort Worth TX | $214,305 | $173,376 | $40,929 | 23.61% |
| 15 | Philadelphia PA | $173,902 | $111,600 | $62,302 | 55.83% |
| 16 | St Albans VT | $147,500 | $10,384 | $137,116 | 1320.45% |
| 17 | Tampa FL | $94,311 | $123,735 | $(29,424) | -23.78% |
| 18 | Nogales AZ | $14,763 | $53,542 | $(38,779) | -72.43% |
| 19 | Ogdensburg NY | $13,209 | $- | $13,209 | NA |
| 20 | San Francisco CA | $12,300 | $- | $12,300 | NA |
| 21 | Cleveland OH | $2,850 | $155,504 | $(152,654) | -98.17% |
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