This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill, February 20, 2019.
As the nation is reminded of the tragic consequences of gun violence with the one-year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, the Trump administration is pushing forward with plans to expedite the export abroad of the same kind of military-style weapons used in many of the mass shootings that have taken place in recent years.
These are not the commodities that the United States should make easier to export.
Congress can and should stop the changes, which would put the Department of Commerce in charge of regulating these exports, removing them from the State Department-led U.S. Munitions List (USML).
At the core of these proposed changes is the mistaken belief that firearms do not merit tighter scrutiny under the State Department-led munitions control list because they are neither high-tech nor do they provide unique military advantages.
Of course, the changes would also make it easier for gun manufacturers to sell and profit from these weapons transfers.
Read the full op-ed in The Hill, February 20, 2019.