House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks Warns Trump’s Ending of Arms Export Control Rule Will Contribute to U.S. Arms Falling in Illicit Hands Abroad

Washington, D.C. — Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration rescinding a firearms export rule initially issued by the Biden administration, which instituted improved controls on firearms, ammunition, and components to foreign buyers.  

“This unnecessary move by the Trump administration is yet another step to diminish oversight of arms transfers to foreign buyers. By removing a ‘presumption of denial’ for certain exports to 36 high-risk countries and license requirements on long-barrel shotguns and other lethal weapons, U.S.-produced firearms will more easily find their way into illicit hands. 

“Countries around the world, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, have called on the U.S. to better control the export of American firearms, which all too often are exploited by gangs and criminal networks to destabilize communities and exacerbate civilian insecurity. Just last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessed that nearly three-quarters of firearms recovered from illicit use in the Caribbean could be sourced back to the United States, many originating from commercial sales. The administration’s reduction of oversight checks on such sales does nothing to strengthen national, regional, or global security.”