You have two important opportunities to weigh in with public comments regarding proposed federal rules that are important to all gun violence prevention supporters. Click on the links below to cut and paste from sample text and then submit your comments through an online portal.
Comments are needed in opposition to a proposal by the Trump administration to make it easier for U.S.-based gun manufacturers and dealers to export guns and ammunition globally─even though U.S.-exported firearms are already used in countless crimes, attacks, and human rights violations in many nations. The proposal applies to assault weapons and other powerful firearms, moving export licensing and oversight from the Department of State to the Department of Commerce. The U.S. gun industry and the National Rifle Association have pushed hard for these changes to increase international gun sales in the face of declining gun ownership in the U.S. The deadline for public comments on this rule is July 9.
Below is sample text in opposition to moving export license oversight from the Department of State to the Department of Commerce that you can cut and paste or adapt with your own additions. For maximum impact, please submit your comments to both the Department of State and the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security via the online portals listed below (you can submit the same comment to each):
State: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=DOS-2017-0046-0001
Commerce: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=BIS-2017-0004-0001
I am writing in opposition to moving export license oversight for firearms from the Department of State to the Department of Commerce because the proposed rule change treats semiautomatic assault rifles as “non-military.” This is despite the fact that U.S. troops routinely use their military rifles in semiautomatic mode, these weapons are used by state and non-state groups in armed conflicts, and the civilian possession of such weapons is prohibited in many countries. The proposed rule also: eliminates Congressional oversight for important gun export deals; transfers the cost of processing licenses from gun manufacturers to taxpayers; and, enables unchecked gun production in the U.S. and exports abroad by removing the block on 3D printing of firearms. The proposal reduces transparency and reporting on gun exports and transfers gun export licensing from an agency with a mission to promote stability, conflict reduction, and human rights, to an agency with a mission to promote trade and which lacks the resources to adequately enforce export controls.
Firearms are used to kill a thousand people every day around the world in acts of organized crime, political violence, terrorism, and human rights violations. They should be subject to more controls, not fewer.
