Journalism of Courage
The Trump administration has removed restrictions on civilian firearms exports that were put in place under President Joe Biden, allowing sales to 36 countries previously considered high-risk for weapons diversion.
The US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said the change restores the export rules that were in effect during Trump’s first term and could create “hundreds of millions of dollars per year in export opportunities” for American gun makers.
“This administration strongly rejects the Biden administration’s war on the Second Amendment and law-abiding firearms users,” said Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, in an Reuters statement. He called the Biden-era rules “onerous.”
Trump has consistently opposed stricter gun regulations in the United States, including proposals to raise the legal age for gun purchases, expand background checks, or limit assault-style rifles.
The Biden administration had introduced the export restrictions in April 2024, following a temporary pause on exports. Then-Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the rules aimed to prevent firearms from reaching drug cartels, gangs, and other criminal groups. The restrictions were expected to reduce US firearms exports by about 7% a year, or $40 million.
The policy change could benefit US manufacturers such as Sturm, Ruger & Co. and Smith & Wesson Brands by opening international markets that were previously restricted.
Under the new rules, most pistols, rifles, and non-long-barrel shotguns still require export licences, while long-barrel shotguns and many scopes can be exported without a licence to US allies. Officials said screening will continue to prevent weapons from ending up with “wrongdoers.”
Trump previously moved oversight of many commercial gun exports from the State Department to the Commerce Department in 2020, a change that made it easier and cheaper for manufacturers to sell weapons abroad.
(With inputs from Reuters)
