WASHINGTON, D.C.–Tennessee Representative Mark Green (R-TN-7) is sponsoring legislation which would reverse a current ban on gun exports to certain countries put in place by the Department of Commerce (DOC) under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Rep. Green is the sponsor of H.R. 6504, otherwise known as the Protect American Gun Exporters Act. The bill is a response to the DOC’s 90 day “pausing” of issuing new export licenses involving certain firearms, related components, and ammunition to all non-governmental end users worldwide except for certain destinations such as Israel and Ukraine.
An FAQ distributed by the DOC on the 90 day pause launched on October 27 of this year states “During this “pause” period, the Department will further assess current firearm export control review policies to determine whether any changes are warranted to advance U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The review will be conducted with urgency and will enable the Department to more effectively assess and mitigate risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities.”
Rep. Green’s bill seeks to reverse the pause and prohibit any future pauses unless it goes through the standard rulemaking process which includes public comment periods, communication with industry stakeholders, and Congressional review.
In a statement release on the bill, Rep. Green says “This pause leaves people vulnerable while directly hurting firearm manufacturing and shipping jobs. The Biden administration’s far-reaching and downright reckless restriction on civilian firearm export licenses clearly showcases their antipathy for the Second Amendment. That’s where my bill comes in. It stops the export license pause and solidifies concrete steps the Department of Commerce must take if it wants to implement similar policies in the future.
My bill prevents additional hypocritical and broad restrictions on firearm export licenses. Pausing the issuance of export licenses for firearms, related components, and ammunition penalizes law-abiding civilians while handing criminal actors a monopoly on force. The Biden administration cannot continue trampling on the Second Amendment and crippling the American firearm industry. My bill aims to right this wrong and prevent future arbitrary attacks on law-abiding American business owners.”
