The Biden administration issued an order that will stop the exports and sales for 90 days of civilian firearms made in America, starting on October 27, 2029. The U.S. Department of Commerce stopped issuing export permits for most civilian firearms, ammunition and some optics for 90 days to all non-government users. The Commerce Department cited national security concerns as the basis for its sweeping order. “The review will take place with urgency and enable the Department more effectively assess and minimize risk of firearms going to entities or activities which promote regional instability, abuse human rights, fuel criminal activities, or fuel terrorist activities.”
We can expect that this order will reduce sales and revenue of leading American gunmakers such as Barrett, Colt Ruger, SIG Sauer USA and Smith & Wesson.
Bloomberg reports that the Commerce Department has halted exports of US-made firearms and is reviewing its support for the country’s largest gun trade show in order to ensure that such backing does not ‘undermine US policy interests’. This could slow down two decades of growth in gun sales abroad.
The Department announced late Friday that it would not be approving any new export licenses to allow the commercial sale of semiautomatic or non-automatic guns around the world. The freeze does not apply to Israel, Ukraine or about 40 other countries who are part of an agreement on export control. It does cover some of America’s biggest markets, including Brazil and Guatemala[. ]”
The ban will not apply to 40 countries, such as Israel and Ukraine, which have separate export agreements for firearms. Reuters reports that exporters can continue to make license requests during the pause. However, they will be ‘held indefinitely’ until the pause has been lifted.
It is interesting and perhaps deliberate that the 90-day ban on exports overlaps with the NSSF SHOT Show. TheTruthaboutGuns.com noted: “The announcement of this 90-day ‘pause’ in export licensing just happens to be perfectly timed to include pulling the Commerce Department’s support for the NSSF’s SHOT Show scheduled for January 23 to 26, 2024.”
One legal expert noted that the ban on exports will cover most firearms and ammo that can be bought in American gun shops, including shotguns. Johanna Reeves of Reeves & Dola, a Washington-based lawyer who specializes on export controls and firearms said she had never before seen such a broad restriction on civilian gun sales.
AR-15 Image by Wing Tactical
