Aides to President Donald Trump are completing a plan to shift oversight of international non-military firearms sales from the State Department to the Commerce Department, four officials told Reuters. While the State Department is primarily concerned about international threats to stability and maintains tight restrictions on weapons deals, the Commerce Department typically focuses more on facilitating trade. “There will be more leeway to do arms sales,” one senior administration official said. The effort to streamline US small arms export controls dates back to an Obama administration initiative begun in 2009, but which was never translated into policy. The new rules would move both the licensing and supervision for export of most non-military firearms and ammunition to Commerce officials, who have been directed by Trump to ease the overall regulatory burden on US exporters.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 19, 2017 21:00 UTC