USA: More than 139 million firearms were built in 20 years

Weapons manufacturers in USA have produced more than 139 million in the last twenty years firearms which were intended for trade, of which 11.3 million in 2020 alone, according to a report by the US Department of Justice.

During the same period, 71 million firearms were imported, compared to only 7.5 million exported, an indication of the growing frenzy of firearms available in the USwhich has fueled its upsurge violenceτων murders and suicides, the report said.

The armaments industry has grown exponentially: in 2000 there were 2,222 weapons companies in the USA, while in 2020 their number reached 16,963.

Annual production of firearms intended for commercial use also increased sharply, rising from 3.9 million in 2000 to 11.3 million in 2020, reaching a peak in 2016, with 11.9 million.

The Justice Department report shows that Americans prefer semi-automatic weapons, which have been used in many attacks.

There is also an increase in “ghost” weapons, which can be made at home at a cost of several hundred dollars. Some parts of these weapons can be purchased online and others can be printed with a 3D printer. These weapons do not have a serial number, and their owners do not have to have a firearms license, a white criminal record or undergo a psychiatric examination.

Stricter measures

According to the report, in 2021 the police identified 19,344 “ghost” weapons, compared to 1,758 in 2016.

In April, US President Joe Biden tightened the regulatory framework for these weapons, requiring those selling kit kits to inspect buyers and include a serial number on the weapon.

“We can only tackle the current escalation of violence if we have better information and if we use the most effective tools and studies to step up our efforts.”pointed out the second in the hierarchy of the Ministry of Justice, Lisa Monaco, in her announcement.

The report comes after a particularly bloody weekend in the United States, with two mass shootings: one racist in Buffalo, New York, where 10 African-Americans were killed, and another in Los Angeles, California, where a five more were injured.

The number of gun deaths has risen “historically” in the US in 2020, possibly due to the effects of the covid-19 pandemic and poverty, according to a US health survey released last week..

In the USA in 2020, 19,350 homicides were recorded, increase by almost 35% compared to 2019and 24,245 suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2020 the homicide rate reached 6.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in 25 years.