In case of crisis, the country's only weapons factory increases its profits: the police is its biggest client

This seems a contradiction: Which national company is gaining more in the crisis? Bersa Sociedad Anónima, the only factory that makes firearms from scratch in Argentina, the creator of the country's most recognizable 9mmI had sold 97,000 pistols worldwide in 2016 according to their own figures, with a business turnover of 302 million pesos. 2017 was a crash, just over 65,000 units sold 273 million pesos.

The projection end 2018, however, it is much more encouraging: 89,000 weapons sold, 345 million in the box.

Bersa destina between 50 and 60% of its production in the US civilian market, A quarter of a century ago, it was agreed that another 35 countries would be on their export lists regulated by ANMAC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as distributors in 40 countries. However, the company's executives recognize during a historic press visit to the Ramos Mejía brand factory that with the arrival of Donald Trump, his sales in dollars fell "by 12%"

What happened? Why is 2018 more beautiful? Are the Argentineans equipped with pistols bought legally not worth less than ten thousand pesos? "What is sold on the local civilian market is minimal," admits a senior executive, a figure a bonnet of six thousand weapons a year for the Argentine coat of armslikewise for security agencies to buy, with the port of firearms reduced to the flow carriers. Other security-related elements do not rise either. The electrified fencing company, visible in neighborhoods such as Belgrano R or La Horqueta in Boulogne, is also down according to a survey of Infobae with the article providers.

Then, Who buys the weapons? The answer, given by the leaders of Bersa, is simple: the national and provincial police.

The Official Bulletin tells a story in this sense, with direct contracts in a market where national competition is weak. August 31, 2017, The tucumano Bulletin announced the purchase in Bersa of 500 pieces of 9 mm caliber5.4 million pesos for direct contracts in the face of "new incorporation of staff into the ranks of the police". February 27 of this year, Federal Police Argentina, three thousand other pistols for the Weapons and Ammunition Division, 8.8 million pesos.

Benso Bonadimani, Italian immigrant, is one of the creators of the bersa: his name is the first syllable of the brand with those of his two other partners. He invented the brand as a kind of changa, create spare parts in a shoot Ramos Mejía with two other Italians for the old Ballester-Molina pistols. I will finish sell two million units in sixty years of activity.

Benso, now 78, is frank when he speaks: "When did we sell more weapons? In 1974, when the Montoneros were present.Now, if they buy them, I do not know". said today, the 9 mm bersa outperform other brands of the same caliber in federal government foreclosure files, 145 between 2016 and so far this year against 121 weapons of the brand Browning. However, they do not represent such a significant percentage of the overall picture, with nearly 1,700 weapons seized by the PFA in the last three years.