By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, again asked the U.S. Commerce Department to curb assault weapon exports and increase oversight of gun exports after a Trump-era rule change eased firearms export laws, according to a letter sent on Tuesday and seen by Reuters.
The Commerce Department began a 90-day pause in an October order to assess the "risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities."
The pause, which includes shotguns and optical sights, ends on Thursday. The Commerce Department could decide to make the halt on export licenses permanent, return to previous practices, or impose other permanent restrictions.
The Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment.
The letter, which was signed by Warren and Senator Richard Durbin as well as U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro and Norma Torres was sent to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. It voiced support for returning export authority oversight to the Department of State from Commerce - something which changed under then-President Donald Trump's tenure.
In addition, the lawmakers asked Commerce to extend its review, declare publicly that it intends to curb exports, commit to better post-shipment oversight, and shorten the period export licenses are valid from four years to one year.
At the time, the rule change was expected to increase business for gunmakers such as Smith & Wesson Brands Inc, and Sturm Ruger & Co Inc.
According to a Bloomberg news article on Wednesday, the Commerce Department's new rule outlined several changes, including the State Department having more influence over vetting exports to countries with poor human-rights records, and the creation of distinct trade categories for semiautomatic firearms - including pistols, rifles and shotguns, making it easier for federal regulators to scrutinize exports of those weapons.
"From March 9, 2020 (the date of the Trump Administration's transfer) to June 30, 2023, Commerce approved nearly 25,000 firearms export licenses with a total value of $34.7 billion, or roughly $10.5 billion per year," the letter said, which represented an increase of more than $1 billion in the annual value of license approvals.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
