Joe Biden Administration plans to impose new restrictions on the export of firearms and ammunition and increase controls on transactions to limit their diversion to drug cartels, criminal groups, gangs and others. This was reported by "Reuters", citing the Ministry of Commerce.
The measure covers most guns that can be purchased in US gun stores.
On October 27 this year, the ministry announced a pause for most firearms exports. The reason was that it was intended to do an "urgent review" and to assess "the risk of them being diverted to organizations or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights or fuel criminal activities".
The department plans to announce the lifting of the old restrictions on May 30, when the new restrictions will come into effect. They are being imposed because the department believes it needs to do more to prevent the diversion of exported firearms for malicious purposes and to harm US national security.
The new restrictions are expected to cut about 7%, or $40 million, from the $600 million average annual U.S. firearms export.
The new rule would impose restrictions on arms exports to 36 countries that the State Department has determined are at high risk of diversion or abuse. Some export licenses will also be canceled and some four-year licenses will be reduced to one-year licenses.
Some of the designated countries also include former Soviet republics, with the Commerce Department explaining that it is "increasing transaction-level controls to ensure that firearms are not exported to destinations of concern.
The October 27 freeze on export licenses for the sale of firearms and ammunition to non-governmental entities had some exceptions, including export licenses to Ukraine and Israel and some other close allies.
In November some 46 Republican senators said the pause could pose a risk to "US commercial and economic interests" as well as the country's national security and foreign policy.