GIFFORDS Praises New Biden Rule to Track Exported Guns, Fixing Trump-Era Regulation

Washington DC — Today, GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, applauded the Biden administration for its new policy for vetting firearms exports.

The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) will now have a new policy to improve oversight of firearms exports. The interim final rule announced today will increase scrutiny to prevent firearms from being diverted to criminal use, collect data about the types and lethality of exported firearms, and better identify those who are purchasing US guns abroad. The new policy will also create an interagency task force led by the Department of State to regularly review the export license policy and list of high-risk countries.

“President Joe Biden is undoing a lot of damage caused by his predecessor, protecting lives here at home and abroad. Former President Donald Trump allowed gun manufacturers to sell their weapons in foreign markets with little oversight, lining the pockets of the gun industry and endangering people’s lives across the globe. President Biden understands that gun exports need proper vetting, and he put a policy in place to help ensure exported US guns are not being trafficked for criminal purposes and human rights abuses abroad.”

In 2019, the Trump administration finalized a rule that moved oversight for the export of most firearms and ammunition from the Department of State to the Department of Commerce. GIFFORDS opposed the proposed rule because it did not adequately address the potential for violence with American guns, including human right abuses, international crime, and terrorism. 

Since the Trump-era regulation was enacted, the export of semiautomatic pistols grew by 124% from July to December 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019.

MEDIA REQUESTS

Our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues. Have a question? Email us at media@giffords.org.

Contact