Democrats Slam Biden for ‘Lackluster Oversight’ of Gun Exports

Citing the US Commerce Department’s “lackluster oversight” of the country’s international firearms trade, several congressional Democrats are calling on Secretary Gina Raimondo to tighten controls on the commercial export of US-made guns and to release long-delayed trade data detailing those shipments.

A 2020 rule change transferred oversight of export licenses for many types of firearms from the State Department to Commerce — a switch that gun industry lobbyists correctly predicted would boost overseas sales. In the first 16 months after the change, global export-license approvals rose 30 percent over historical averages, according to congressional estimates. The Democratic lawmakers noted that President Biden vowed during his presidential ...