On Tuesday, Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL04) joined a letter by Congressman Mark Green, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, to the Biden Administration demanding answers on restrictions on civilian firearm exports. Chairman Green’s letter to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), an agency of the Department of Commerce, was signed by 86 other lawmakers.
“President Biden has made it clear through his actions that he has no desire to uphold the Second Amendment,” said Rep. Aderholt. “He has previously moved to restrict hunting and archery programs in schools, and now he is he is prohibiting law-abiding businesses from selling their firearms overseas.”
“First, President [Joe] Biden tried to strip funding from hunting and archery programs in our schools because of his antipathy for the Second Amendment,” said Rep. Green. “Now, he is prohibiting law-abiding businesses from selling their firearms overseas. This administration must explain itself.”
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “As long as evil persists, there will always be a need for good people to defend themselves and their loved ones. The need for the Second Amendment was not limited to the American Revolution nor the American Republic. Every person has a right to self-defense. 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.”
“Belligerent actors are becoming more aggressive and emboldened; regimes like Iran and China are posturing toward force and increasing their military capabilities,” the members of Congress continued. “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.”
The lawmakers conclude: “We demand that the Department end this ridiculous hypocrisy and continue the issuance of export licenses for firearms, related components, and ammunition. Continuing this pause will only weaken law-abiding civilians and hand criminal actors a monopoly of force. We also urge that BIS’s final assessment not deprive innocent people of the means for self-defense.”
Congressmen Mike Rogers (R-AL03), Barry Moore (R-AL02), and Gary Palmer (R-AL06) were also cosigners.
This letter was endorsed by The National Rifle Association (NRA), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), Gun Owners of America (GOA), American Suppressors Association (ASA), the Firearms & Ammunition Import/Export Roundtable, and Heritage Action.
Robert Aderholt has represented Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District since 1996.
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