To reduce the number of US-made civilian firearms being used in crimes overseas, the Biden administration proposed additional limitations on weapon imports.
Under the new rules, specialists will now have to screen their clients and restrict sales to 36 nations that are “high-risk” for the illegal diversion of semi-automatic weapons more thoroughly. Among these 36 nations, Trinidad and Tobago will be impacted.
- Advertisement -
Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vietnam, and Yemen are the nations listed by the Commerce Department.
Secretary of Commerce for the US Gina Raimondo announced the new initiative, saying, “The days of exporting military-style weapons to civilians in unstable countries are over.”
“Under our new review process, it will be much harder to export these weapons to civilians in countries that pose national security risks.”
The agency put a stop to most US-based weapons specialists in October 2023. The agency said on April 26 that the halt will end on May 30, the day the new limitations go into force.
The US State Department has assessed that 36 nations are at a high risk of misuse or diversions, thus the new interim final rule places limits on exports to non-governmental uses in those countries. The division will utilize a “presumption of denial for commercial transactions” in those countries.
The Commerce Department projects that the 36-country limitations will cut US firearm exports by approximately 7%, or $40 million, out of the $600 million average yearly shipments. According to the Commerce government, the government would cancel certain export licenses and shorten some of them from four years to one year.
The export prohibition may have an impact on foreign clients, including dealers, as well as US gun manufacturers such as Sturm Ruger and Co., Smith & Wesson, and Vista Outdoor, according to a recent news story dated October 27. Exporters must specify the precise end users for shipments to government clients.
An official interagency working group to assess the risks of weapon diversion and misuse on a country-by-country basis would be chaired by the US Department of State, according to a document on the policy dated April 8.
Along with the new regulation, the Commerce Department said on April 26 that its Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) will revoke permits that are now in effect and permit the export of weapons to non-government end users in the locations specified by the State Department on July 1. Additionally, the agency announced that it will take public feedback on the regulation until July 1.
Industry participants who were contacted to discuss the new policy and its implications did so on the condition of anonymity.
“There will now be significant barriers to the importation of arms, ammunition, components, and spare parts.”
She added, “With this new policy, you start with a presumption of denial of any application coming from any of the territories now deemed high risk.”
The previous procedure stated that neighborhood gun merchants would get in touch with their suppliers in the US, “the manufacturers themselves.” The gun maker would next apply to the Department of Commerce for the export license after obtaining an import authorization that had been approved and sealed by the police commissioner.
“But now, you start with a presumption of denial of any application from any of the 36 countries on the list. And Trinidad and Tobago is there. So, there is the presumption that your application will be denied if you are from the private sector.”
According to an explanation, there seems to be a “common misunderstanding” that the government purchased ammo.
“They do not. What they do is they (the government agency such as the Defense Force, police, or prison) send out a tender either sole-select or general and go to a dealer.”
“So, when they (the US) invoke this…There is a dichotomy in the change in regulations which specifically separates the end user being a government agency and being from the private sector bearing in mind it will be less stringent for a government agency to get approval… However, they did not appreciate when the Government required ammunition, they went through a local supplier.”
“So now they have to go through the same thing but they will have a slightly lower hurdle to cross but they, too, will have the presumption of denial.”
The US State Department said in its memorandum that it would spearhead interagency efforts to add fresh qualitative and quantitative sources to the research. These efforts would also involve future data collecting aimed at deepening government comprehension of the diversion of guns, both legal and illegal.
It added, “To determine how each of these risk factors applies to specific destination countries, State, in consultation with other US agencies, gathered relevant information from reliable sources, including US Government reports and international NGO and intergovernmental reports that assess these risk factors qualitatively and quantitatively.”
Another industry participant acknowledged that the majority of weapons entering Trinidad and Tobago came from the US and that the new regulation was “the wrong fix.”
“The American government want more robust data on exports and re-exports… but this is the wrong fix. We do have a significant problem in Trinidad and Tobago but this is not the fix. Where is the evidence that the guns coming legally into Trinidad have been diverted?”
“What happens when we cannot bring in ammunition?”
She added, “This is a devastation we brought on ourselves. We cannot fix a problem so we are fixing a problem we do not have.”
According to the source, the government of Trinidad and Tobago gave legitimate guns, their owners, and dealers all of its attention, but it paid no attention to illicit firearms that were being sold on the black market. Instead of continuing to criticize users and dealers who are doing legally, they ought to have concentrated on this.
“The guns used in the Pennywise incident were not semi-automatic guns. The guns on the streets are far superior to what the dealers are selling and more lethal.”
According to a study released on April 26, 2023, by the Small Arms Survey and Caricom’s implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), gang violence is the primary cause of the high homicide rates in the Caribbean, which are fueled by US guns.
A week prior, the leaders of the Caribbean declared a “war on guns,” pledging to outlaw assault weapons and support Mexico in its legal actions against US arms producers. According to a study released on April 26, 2023, by the Small Arms Survey and Caricom’s implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), gang violence is the primary cause of the high homicide rates in the Caribbean, which are fueled by US guns.
A week prior, the leaders of the Caribbean declared a “war on guns,” pledging to outlaw assault weapons and support Mexico in its legal actions against US arms producers.
In a statement, Caricom said. The declaration was made at Port of Spain after a two-day regional conference on crime and violence as a public health concern, “We call on the United States of America to join the Caribbean in our war on guns and urgently adopt and take action to stop the illegal exportation of firearms and ammunition into the Caribbean.”
The Caricom research states that firearms manufactured in the US have a major role in Caribbean gang violence. According to data gathered by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), between 80 and 99 percent of the firearms found in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the Bahamas in 2021 and turned in for traceback originated originally from the US.
The research recommended a uniform approach for exchanging weapon data amongst regional nations because only those firearms that have been recovered can be tracked down, “…There is little doubt that the United States is a major source of illicit firearms in the Caribbean, and probably the largest source in some states and territories,” stated in the 178-page study.
It further mentioned that firearms were smuggled into the Caribbean by gun traffickers using a variety of techniques, including disguising weapons in cargo containers that are transported via seaports and airports. Criminals are also using guns manufactured privately more and more. These are guns assembled from factory parts that are typically supplied in kits and are only half completed.
The report’s principal conclusions were as follows: Caricom member states had about three times the global average rate of violent fatalities. In the Caribbean as a whole, firearms are used in over half of all killings; in certain nations, this percentage even approaches 90%.
“Legal civilian firearm ownership is tightly regulated in the region. As a result, firearms licensing and registration data is relatively available and suggests a low rate of legal civilian firearm ownership in the region compared with the global average.”
“Based on seizure and trace data, the vast majority of illicit firearms circulating in the Caribbean are handguns. While illicit rifles and rifle ammunition are emerging concerns for law enforcement officials, their use by criminals in the Caribbean remains limited.”
“The US domestic market is a major source of illicit firearms and ammunition in the Caribbean and is likely the largest source in some states and territories.”
“Data gaps and ambiguities preclude a definitive assessment, and available evidence indicates that firearms are also sourced from other countries.
“Firearms and ammunition are trafficked from the United States to the Caribbean via commercial airliners, postal and fast parcel services, and maritime shipping companies.”
