Revision of Firearms License Requirements

On April 30, 2024, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published an interim final rule (Firearms IFR) that imposed new export license requirements for firearms and related ammunition and components. American firearms manufacturers estimated that these regulatory restrictions would cost them hundreds of millions of dollars per year in lost sales. BIS, informed by public comments on the Firearms IFR, has determined that the Firearms IFR should be rescinded in its entirety--with the only exception being to maintain new Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs). This final rule also amends the EAR by removing the Congressional notification requirement for certain semi-automatic firearms license applications. By restoring export controls on firearms to the state they were in at the end of the first Trump Administration, BIS is advancing the Administration's commitment to reducing regulatory burdens on industry and law-abiding firearms owners.