TheGunBlog.ca — Canadian gun imports jumped to their second-highest level on record in 2021, driven by demand for Italian shotguns, Finnish rifles and Czech handguns.
Details
- The value of inbound shipments rose by 29% last year from 2020 to $188.5 million, according to data published today by Statistics Canada.
- That’s just behind the 2014 annual record of $193.5 million.
- Last year’s gain was the first increase after three annual declines.
Why It Matters
- Almost every gun in Canada is imported.
- Import stats are one of the only publicly available economic indicators of the firearm industry.
- Imports reveal long-term trends, not the current market. Rising imports suggest an improving business outlook. Declines suggest a weakening business outlook.
Main Drivers of 2021 Gun Imports
The StatCan import data doesn’t mention manufacturers or brands.
- Shotguns From Italy: Almost doubled to $15 million.
- Possible Brands: Benelli, Beretta, Franchi
- Rifles From Finland: +62% to $12.5 million.
- Possible Brands: Sako, Tikka
- Handguns From Czech Republic: More than tripled to $5 million.
- Possible Brands: CZ (Česká zbrojovka)
Top 5 Countries of Origin (% of Total, 2021)
- U.S.A. (41.8%)
- Italy (11.9%)
- Turkey (9.2%)
- Finland (6.6%)
- Japan (5.6)
Fun Factoids
- Canada imported 415,941 firearms last year, an average of 1,140 per day, seven days a week. (+17% vs. 354,164 in 2020). Almost all of them will end up in the home of their happy new owners.
- The combined import value of guns, ammunition, parts and accessories climbed 22% in 2021 to $382.6 million. Assuming retail markup of 25% and taxes of 10%, that would represent an average of $1.4 million invested in those goods every day, seven days a week.
- Canada’s firearm market is highly punitive, and highly popular.
- Punitive: You risk jail if you buy, sell, or have any gun without a federal firearm licence, and also obey many other arbitrary restrictions and requirements.
- Popular: About 2.2 million adults and 4,500 businesses have a licence.
Interactive Charts
Following are the same charts published on our page of Canada Gun Facts and Stats.