To limit the use of American-made civilian weapons in crimes and human rights violations abroad, the Biden administration will require exporters to better vet their customers and increase sales to 36 countries. Bloomberg reports UNN.
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The new rules - the strictest in decades - also reduce the duration of export licenses from four years to one and give the State Department more power to block sales.
The plan was developed as a result of the department's review of U.S. arms industry support, a process that began after a Bloomberg News investigation last year linked record civilian arms exports to higher rates of gun crime in countries such as Guatemala, Brazil, and Canada.
The investigation documented how legally exported weapons were used in crimes ranging from the massacre at a preschool in Thailand in 2022 to the assassination of Ecuador's leading presidential candidate last August.
The Department of Commerce protects America's national interests by making it harder for criminals, terrorists, and cartels to get their hands on firearms made in the United States
For arms exporters, the new rules not only narrow the potential market, but also require more customer due diligence and additional costs.
Exporters must renew their export licenses annually, and in many countries they will have to submit more thorough purchase orders. They must also collect copies of passports or national identification cards from arms dealers and other customers located abroad.