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Handgun imports rise sharply, lead by Savannah, Miami, Chicago

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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