Stohl, Rachel and Doug Tuttle. 2014 ‘The Small Arms Trade in Latin America [Industry and Exports].’ North American Congress on Latin America, Reporting on the Americas. New York NY: North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA). 13 October

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Traditionally, Latin American countries have not produced enough weapons to meet their domestic military needs and have relied on imports to fill their arsenals. While almost every country in Latin America manufactures small arms to some extent, production capabilities vary greatly throughout the region.(7)

In 2005, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile were the largest regional producers of small arms, and also the four largest regional exporters, transferring $15.5 million, $3.6 million, $3.2 million, and $657,000 worth of weapons, respectively, to other Latin American countries.(8)

Still, Latin American small-arms production is relatively small in scope. According to the Small Arms Survey, only about 4% of the small-arms-producing companies in the world are located in South America, on par with sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.(9)

However, in August, 2007, Russia's Izhevsk Manufacturing Plant announced it had finalized the deal to build two factories in Venezuela to produce AK-103 assault rifles and their 7.62 mm ammunition. Construction on the factories began at the end of 2007 and is scheduled to be completed by 2010…(10)

Sources cited:

7) Small Arms Survey 2004, p. 16.
8) www.nisat.org
9) Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2002: Counting the Human Cost (Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 12.
10) Martin Seiff, "Defense Focus: Venezuela's Kalashnikovs," United Press International, August 15, 2007.

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