Beretta USA was established in 1977 in Maryland. A measured portion of U.S. production followed, but things changed dramatically in 1985—when the Beretta 92FS was selected to replace the M1911A1 as the U.S. military’s official sidearm, and demand for its guns soared. Two years later, FN America established operations in Columbia, SC. Its focus was military, however, with M240 Squad Automatic Weapons for U.S. troops coming out of the plant two years later. Many commercially available firearms are now made in the South Carolina factory.
It’s probably no coincidence that Austrian gunmaker Glock waited until 1985—the year the U.S. military officially adopted a handgun that chambered the 9 mm cartridge—to establish a Smyrna, GA, branch importing pistols. Manufacturing of its firearms in America began in 2013. It was also 1985 when SIGArms—SIG Sauer’s early stateside name—arrived in Virginia to import Swiss-made P220 and P230 pistols. It moved to New Hampshire in 1992 and U.S.-made P229s were first to roll out of the factory. Other firearms followed, and as of lately, nearly all guns wearing the SIG Sauer name are now made in the U.S. The company’s P320 subsequently won the U.S. Army pistol, and SIG followed that with another contract to produce the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon System.
Taurus opened a stateside shop three years before Glock and SIG Sauer arrived, but production at its Miami, FL, site was limited to a few parts and gun assembly. Sales grew steadily, and by 2019 demand outpaced the operation’s capacity. The company then opened a state-of-the-art, 200,000-square-foot combination headquarters and factory in Bainbridge, GA, where it employs more than 300 workers and manufactures American-made firearms.
IWI US was established in 2012 and set up shop in Pennsylvania in 2013. By 2017, demand for its U.S.-made firearms outgrew that site and operations moved to a bigger facility nearby. The company assembles and builds complete firearms in the U.S., and plans to expand in Tennessee in the near future.
Germany-based gunmaker Walther established Walther Arms in 2012 in Fort Smith, AR. Part of production in Europe methodically moved to the U.S. facility, but demand for its American-made models is heavy, as demonstrated by a 2024 announcement from the company stating that it is adding 40,000 square feet to a factory that already spans 185,000 square feet. Another 76 employees are being hired.
HK USA’s 50,000 square-foot facility in Columbus, GA—established in 2017—primarily imported and assembled guns from its parent firm in Germany. Much to the dismay of fans, import regulations limited commercial offerings. Late last year the company began designing and manufacturing guns here in the United States, however, and its first domestically produced is the CCW-centric CC9 pistol. It’s quickly gaining attention and leaves consumers eager for more American-made offerings from the German firm.
In 2022, Philippines-based Armscor opened a factory in Cedar City, UT. In 2023, Argentina-based Bersa began manufacturing operations in Georgia. The list of foreign gunmakers moving their manufacturing capabilities to the U.S. appears to be expanding each year. The size of each operation varies, but there’s no denying the jobs created and the positive impact they have on local economies.
Read the full article here
