Xinhua Agency, Beijing, September 30. On the 29th, the U.S. government abolished the Biden administration's restrictions on U.S. civilian gun exports and lifted the ban on the sale of guns to 36 "high-risk" countries. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security said the move would restore policies from Trump's first term and create "hundreds of millions of dollars a year" in business opportunities for U.S. gun manufacturers.

On April 22, 2022, police work at the scene of a shooting incident in a neighborhood northwest of Washington, the capital of the United States. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie

A day earlier, a shooting in a church in Big Blank, Michigan, killed at least four people and wounded eight.

Since his first term in office, Trump has been firmly opposed to reforming U.S. gun laws, including raising the legal age for buying guns, strengthening background investigations or restricting the use of assault rifles similar to those used when gunmen attacked Michigan churches.According to media disclosures, during Trump¡¯s first term, his administration transferred the supervision of many commercial gun exports from the State Department to a more business-friendly Ministry in 2020, making it easier for manufacturers to sell weapons overseas.

However, the Biden administration reversed Trump's first-term policy and implemented a series of strict restrictions on gun exports in April 2024, including reducing the validity period of gun export licenses from four years to one year, requiring companies to provide additional purchase order certificates, restricting the flow of guns into drug trafficking groups, criminal groups and gangs. then-U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo had said the restrictions were expected to reduce annual U.S. gun exports by 7%, or $40 million.

On May 24, 2022, in Washington, the capital of the United States, the White House flags were lowered at half-mast to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting incident in Texas. Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Shen Ting)

U.S. Department of Commerce¡¯s Deputy Secretary of Industry and Security Jeffrey Caesler said in a statement on 29th that the Biden administration had previously stipulated ¡°heavy weights¡± and that the Trump administration was ¡°strongly opposed to the Biden administration¡¯s war on the Second Amendment and law-abiding gun users.¡± Today, Trump¡¯s re-entry into the White House, overturning the Biden government¡¯s policies, also marks the continuation of its broader gun industry stance.

According to reports, after the Trump administration lifted Biden¡¯s government¡¯s gun export restrictions, 36 countries previously considered ¡°high risk¡± markets will be reopened, U.S. arms manufacturers such as Stam-Rug and Smith-Watson will be beneficial.

Critics believe that the risk of weapons falling into the hands of lawless elements is still high. U.S. Congressman gregory mix criticized on the 29th that this unnecessary move by the Trump administration is another measure to weaken the supervision of arms transfers by foreign buyers, which will make American-made guns easier to be illegally used. (Reporter: Liu Si)