As of Feb. 7, the Trump administration proposed a new set of rules regarding weapons manufacturers.
The new rules would include lessening the requirements for gun companies to be able to sell arms overseas.
As of right now, companies have to obtain a license through the U.S. State Department, which charges an annual fee of $2,240 just to be allowed to ship overseas. The new rules would put the Department of Commerce in charge of manufacturers, instead of the State Department and would discard the annual fee.
Although all weapons will fall under the new regulation, the weapons that are the main focus of the ruling are grenades, flamethrowers and AR-15s, which stands for Armalite rifles.
Now, a part of me wants to get on board with this proposal, and another part of me does not.
From a fiscal standpoint, I understand that by cutting some red tape the government could allow more guns to be shipped, and in turn would gain more revenue back for the economy. Any kind of positive revenue is a wonderful thing, however, with a positive there is always a negative.
On the upside, our allies across the pond would have more weapons to arm their government and military forces.
On the downside, once the weapons are out of our hands and on foreign soil, we have no more control on where the weapons actually go.
In recent years, we have seen foreign arms deals like this go terribly wrong. Back in 2015, Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi force, acquired some of our tanks, Hummvs and small arm weapons that were sold to the Iraqi security forces. They used these weapons, along with the Taliban, to commit night raids and suicide attacks against our troops. That is just one example of many that involved our fellow Americans being killed with our own weapons.
Now I am not an advocate for gun control by any sense of the term, nor am I for stricter gun laws. However, I feel that loosening the requirements for firearm companies to be able to ship their product overseas is just asking for trouble.
For the sake of our troops, I strongly suggest, Mr. President, that you and your advisory committee sit down and reevaluate these new regulations.
I am not an expert on the subject matter, but I do have many years of shooting experience, four years of military service and nearly two years of experience selling firearms.
So if the thought of our own weapons being put in the hands of potential threats and used against us keeps me up at night, it probably should you too.
Caleb Patterson is currently serving as a Specialist in the 913th Engineer Battalion.
