Commerce Department announces new restrictions on U.S. firearms exports
The Commerce Department is announcing new restrictions on U.S. firearms exports in an effort to prevent the guns from ending up in the hands of drug traffickers and criminals in other nations
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Commerce Department on Friday announced new restrictions on U.S. firearms exports in an effort to prevent the guns from ending up in the hands of drug traffickers and criminals in other nations.
Oversight of legal firearms exports has become a political struggle in Washington since the Trump administration in 2020 moved oversight from the State Department to the Commerce Department — a move that was widely seen as favorable to the firearms industry. President Joe Biden during his 2020 campaign pledged to reverse the move “if needed.” Some Democratic lawmakers in Congress have since scrutinized the rate of approvals for gun exports, including semi-automatic guns, saying they lead to violence and unrest around the world.
The changes include denying most export licenses to commercial entities in 36 countries that are determined by State Department criteria to be high-risk locations for illegal gun trafficking or that undermine U.S. national security. The new regulations also track sales more closely and reduce export license validity from four years to one year.
