Why Is Elizabeth Warren Demanding Data on U.S. Gun Exports?

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) have teamed up on a letter to a higher-up at the Commerce Department demanding the agency produce granular data about small arms exports from U.S. gun makers to foreign countries. 

Specifically, the pair are asking about all of the semi-automatic firearm export licenses approved since January 2025, when the second term of the Trump administration began. 

The request covers semi-automatic rifles, pistols, shotguns and associated accessories, and asks the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to disclose the number of licenses approved, the countries receiving the exports, the types of purchasers cleared to receive them, and details of any monitoring conducted to prevent diversion into illegal markets.

The letter requested a response and a full briefing to the committees by April 13.

The lawmakers cited data from ‌the ⁠Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showing that legal U.S. firearm exports account for nearly 20% of crime gun traces in Central America and more than 37% globally outside of North America.

On the one hand, the request has the opportunity to shed some light on what small arms are getting diverted to the criminal market, which would be a good thing to know. On the other hand, you can rest assured that Warren and Meeks are more interested in blaming the Trump administration and the firearms industry for those diversions, not officials in the countries who are importing these guns. 

As Reuters notes, the Biden administration halted the issuance of new export licenses for several months back in 2023, purportedly to assess the risk of firearms getting diverted to “entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities.” Oddly, though, Mexico was not on the list of countries where export licenses were paused,  even though investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson and retired ATF agent John Dodson have stated that a majority of firearms traced back to the U.S. in Mexico were lawfully sold to the Mexican military and law enforcement agencies. 

That certainly suggests that corrupt officials south of the border are diverting those arms to the cartels, and I’m curious to see if the data produced by the Commerce Department backs up that reporting… if the Commerce Department actually responds to the anti-gun lawmakers’ request, that is. 

Warren clearly is hoping to use this data to demand more restrictions on the firearms industry with an eye towards curbing gun sales here at home. She’s already tipped her hand with legislation introduced just a few weeks ago. 

Warren in early March introduced legislation to stop an Army-owned ammunition plant in Missouri from selling military-grade bullets to civilians, asserting that some rounds have been diverted to Mexican drug cartels and ⁠used in more than a dozen American mass shootings.

Oh boy. First we had the made up term “military style assault weapons.” Now we’ve got “military-grade bullets,” which are nothing more than the standard ammunition produced in calibers like .556, .762, and .50 BMG. Under the Army’s contract with Olin Winchester, the company that runs the ammunition plant, the company can sell any rounds not purchased by the Army on the civilian market. 

Warren’s bill wouldn’t just drive up the cost of ammunition, though. Another provision in the legislation would prohibit any company that sells firearms to the military from selling “military-grade assault weapons” on the civilian market as well. 

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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