The White House Administration is preparing to change export control rules for small arms manufacturers. The corresponding draft amendments on the eve was published in the official journal of the US government in a trial mode. The official publication of the document is scheduled for January 23, after which, after 45 days, the new rules will enter into force.

According to the changes, the authority to control the export of small arms, including assault rifles, will be transferred from the State Department to the Ministry of Commerce. After the amendments enter into force, Congress will no longer be notified of planned small arms shipments abroad.

According to Reuters, the measures taken by the authorities will benefit American small arms manufacturers such as American Outdoor Brands Corp (formerly known as Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation) and Sturm Ruger & Co, as well as contribute to the growth of American arms exports.

At the same time, the document published by the authorities notes that the changes will not lead to a weakening of control over firearms and other weapons. Instead, government bodies will continue to “provide appropriate regulatory oversight of the export, re-export, and movement (domestically) of weapons.” It is only about "reducing the procedural burden and costs of ensuring compliance with export requirements for the American arms industry."

Easing control

The American National Shooting Sports Fund (NSSF), which advocates for the interests of manufacturers and owners of civilian firearms, welcomed the decision of the Trump administration. The organization said in a statement that the current export control order has long been outdated, while the White House proposal will help create more jobs in the United States and strengthen national security.

Previously, the NSSF estimated that the introduction of new rules would allow the States to increase foreign shipments of small arms by about 20%.

  • Weapons supporters rally
  • Reuters
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About the plans of the Trump administration to amend the legislation that will facilitate the export of small arms, the media managed to find out in November 2019. With reference to sources, Reuters then announced the preparation of the relevant amendments. It was noted that the initiative belongs personally to Donald Trump.

This idea in the USA has not only supporters, but also opponents. One of them was the Senator from the Democratic Party, a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Bob Menendez.

The politician has already commented on the White House decision, saying that he repeatedly tried to explain to the Trump administration the extreme danger of semi-automatic firearms, which are also subject to amendments.

“We are again shocked and upset - although not surprised - by the fact that the current administration puts the profit of arms companies above the safety of the population. This reckless decision not only simplifies the export of deadly weapons to countries where human rights are violated, but also removes export supplies from the control of the congress, ”the senator said in a statement.

According to experts, the topic of control over the circulation of small arms is very sensitive for American society in connection with regular cases of executions of civilians by single criminals. So, in December 2019, in the city of Jersey City (New Jersey), as a result of another such incident, six people were killed.

On the day of the publication by the US authorities of the draft amendments designed to simplify the supply of small arms abroad, another deadly shooting occurred in the city of Grantsville, Utah. According to American television channels, four people were killed in the attack, another was injured.

Each time after such killings in American society, the discussion resumes about the need to limit the circulation of firearms. The most massive protests took place in the United States in 2018 after a 19-year-old Nicholas Cruz killed 17 students in a Florida state with a semi-automatic rifle.

According to experts, such tragedies affect not only the Americans' perception of issues of control over firearms in the United States, but also their attitude to arms exports. As The Washington Times wrote earlier, the administration of Barack Obama intended to ease the rules for delivering small arms abroad, but these plans were curtailed after firing at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a 20-year-old criminal killed 20 children and three adults.

Armory Lobby

Konstantin Blokhin, an expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that the US administration is acting under the pressure of an influential arms lobby on the issue of arms exports.

  • Donald Trump
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“Just the day before, another shooting case occurred in the USA, but this incident will no longer force the White House to abandon its current plans. The arms lobby, which puts pressure on the authorities, has too much influence today in the USA, ”the expert explained.

A similar point of view is shared by the corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences, political analyst Sergei Sudakov. According to him, in the USA there are two large lobbying groups - arms and military, which push through the decisions they need.

“Weapon companies are interested in facilitating the export of weapons. Now the State Department is putting rather severe barriers to arms supplies abroad, correlating them with political and military factors, the situation in each specific region. Of course, this is not profitable for arms manufacturers, and Trump wants to free them from these restrictions, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

According to Sudakov, Trump’s position is supported by a certain part of Americans, mainly conservative US Republican Party supporters. In addition, increasing the production and supply of weapons will increase the number of jobs and the size of contributions to the national budget, which was part of the election promises of the head of the White House.

“Trump is doing everything so that voters support him. Moreover, no one cares about the fact that the weakening of control over the supply of weapons can lead to negative consequences. For example, weapons can fall into the hands of terrorist structures. Of course, before they also acquired weapons in different ways, but now it will become easier to do, ”Sudakov said.

Head of the Department of Political Science and Sociology G.V. Retired Colonel Andrei Koshkin, Plekhanova, also fears that American weapons will now be able to flow in large numbers to countries where hostilities are taking place, as a result of which the escalation of tension will only increase.

“The White House makes it clear that it intends to increase the export of small arms by private companies abroad. And this is a very bad signal for the world community, since American weapons will most likely fall into hot spots, and this will happen almost uncontrollably, which, in turn, can help to increase tension in such regions, ”the expert summed up.