Overview

• The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced the reversal, restoring Trump-era export rules and projecting hundreds of millions of dollars per year in new opportunities for U.S. gun makers.
• Sales reopen to 36 countries previously flagged as high-risk for diversion, and longer export license terms return after being shortened under the prior policy.
• Most pistols, rifles, and non‑long‑barrel shotguns will still require export licenses, while long‑barrel shotguns and many scopes can ship to U.S. allies without licenses.
• Biden’s April 2024 restrictions sought to reduce diversion to criminal groups and were expected to trim annual exports by about 7% or $40 million.
• Industry backers say the change benefits manufacturers such as Sturm, Ruger & Co. and Smith & Wesson, while critics warn of trafficking risks and cite a GAO finding that most crime guns recovered in the Caribbean traced to the United States.