‘Unprecedented’: Republicans Call On Biden Admin To Lift Export Restrictions On Civilian Firearms

Republican Tennessee Rep. Mark Green sent a letter Tuesday urging the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to end its pause on export licenses for civilian firearms.

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Oct. 27 that it would suspend most export licenses for civilian firearms, components and ammunition for 90 days to “advance U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.” A group of 88 Republican lawmakers, led by Green, told BIS in a letter Tuesday that the action was “unprecedented” and that “every person has a right to self defense.”

“As long as evil persists, there will always be a need for good people to defend themselves and their loved ones,” the letter states. “The need for the Second Amendment was not limited to the American Revolution nor the American Republic…Not only does BIS’s pause on firearms export licenses leave people even more vulnerable, but it will also push buyers to look elsewhere to meet their customers demands.”

Green told the Daily Caller News Foundation there are “far too many questions” surrounding the pause.

“I’m demanding that the Department of Commerce immediately reverse its decision to pause firearms export licenses for American businesses,” he said. “There are far too many questions here, and Congress deserves answers.” 

Lawmakers wrote that the exemption of Ukraine and Israel from the pause “illustrates the inherent hypocrisy.”

“Remarkably, even this administration could not justify pausing firearm exports to these invaded countries because it is a self-evident truth that armed citizens are empowered and protected citizens,” the letter states.

The House passed a bill Thursday to send aid to Israel by cutting funds for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). President Joe Biden earlier proposed a $100 foreign aid package with aid for both Israel and Ukraine

“Belligerent actors are becoming more aggressive and emboldened; regimes like Iran and China are posturing toward force and increasing their military capabilities,” the lawmakers continue. “The surprise attacks against Israel should dispel any notion that BIS can justly or accurately assess who needs firearms for defense and who does not.”

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Georgia Rep. Mike Collins were also among the 88 Republicans who signed on to the letter.

BIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.