The word on the FNhipower.com forum is that FN will be inporting the pistol beginning February 2001. Whether it will be called a "Browning" is unclear to me but it will be the same gun made by the same people from the same factory with the same machines and materials.......IOW, It's a Browning Highpower. Several other companies are making clones(FM, FEG, Arcus, .........) If I wanted a BHP to keep because it was a BHP, I would start looking today and buy it as soon as I found it. If OTOH, you want a shooter, no rush.
To my knowledge, Browning has not recounted their previous announcement that they were stopping. Thr rumor is that Browning is importing a few pistols now but my guess is that these are (if the rumor is true) a parts round up. The pistols made by other manufacturers in the past, when they were stopping and simply wanted to use up the parts on hand, were generally regarded by posterity as lower quality than previous ones.
In short:
* Brownings, with the name may be a thing of the past even if a few are imported this year.
* The same pistol or better is available from FN, Belgium.
*Brownin may change their minds if the political climate changes (yea Dubya and Bancroft) but even if they do, don't count on them trying to market a wonder nine in today's market. .40 S&W or .45 ACP are more likely
* Clones will be available as long as you live if guns stay generally available.
That's what I've heard. IOW, a definite maybe!
PigPen