The Right Path in ITAR Reform

No, Firearm Exports Aren’t Being Decontrolled, Forbes, January 30, 2019. "Over the next month, expect the left-wing press to tell you that the Trump administration, with its usual disregard for all that is right and sensible, is decontrolling exports of firearms, which will inevitably result in a flood of American firearms washing around the world and allow any terrorist or dictator to buy from the American market. All this is a flat-out falsehood."

What's Been Done, and Not Done, on Firearms

I Spoke with Gun Manufacturers From Across America. Their Optimism is Waning, Daily Signal, January 28, 2019. "Two years ago at the annual SHOT Show—the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, run by the National Shooting Sports Foundation—Second Amendment supporters felt optimism that the first year of the Trump administration would bring good things to firearm makers, sellers, and users. This year, there was a lot less optimism."

The Ups and Downs of Firearms Export Control Reforms

The Good and the Bad of Reforms to Firearms Export Controls, Forbes, May 29, 2018. "In my last column, I summarized the origin of the proposed changes to the export controls on firearms, ammunition, and related materials, and dismissed some of the criticisms of these reforms as based on ignorance of how the system will work -- or on the presumption that if the Trump administration is doing it, it must be bad. In this column, I'll look at the up- and downsides of the proposed reforms."

The Background to ITAR 1-3 Reform

Trump Administration’s Proposed Reforms to Firearms Export Controls Are Good – Mostly, Forbes, May 29, 2018. "On May 24, 2018, the Federal Register's website officially posted proposed reforms to the export controls on firearms and some related items. By and large, the reforms are sensible and welcome — but the 45 day comment period that begins today is also welcome, because not everything in the new rules is on point. In this two part series, I’ll explain the background of the proposed reforms, and then look at their up and down sides."

They Don't Like Him As Much As You Think They Do

The Gun Industry’s Surprising Take on the Trump Administration, Daily Signal, February 2, 2018. "Certainly, it was great to hear the president speak up for the Second Amendment in his State of the Union address. But as I learned at this year’s SHOT—Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trades—Show, which wrapped up last week in Las Vegas, it’s more complicated than that."

Expanding the Perimeter

How to Expand Defense Trade Cooperation Between the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, with Daniel Kochis, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief, April 26, 2017. "Of the United States’ alliances, none are stronger than those it enjoys with Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The U.S. has stood shoulder to shoulder with these English-speaking allies in two World Wars, the Cold War, two wars in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan, and that collaboration continues today in the fight against ISIS. The U.S. also works closely with these allies in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing community, which includes New Zealand. It is therefore in America’s interest to promote even closer defense collaboration with Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. A major pillar of improved collaboration is improved defense trade cooperation."

The Obama Administration's Curious Record on Firearms

What’s The Obama Administration Up To On Firearms?, Forbes, December 28, 2016, "The Obama Administration’s record on firearms is curiously mixed. On the one hand, the President deserves an award – which he is unlikely to receive or want – as America’s greatest gun salesman. All of his musings about gun control have gone hand in hand with boom times for the firearms industry."

ITAR Reform on Firearms, part 2

Obama Administration Commits to Initial Reform of Rules on Gun Exports in 2016, Daily Signal, February 11, 2016. "Last month, I reported that the Obama administration was resisting a bipartisan push to make it easier for U.S. firearms manufacturers to export. But now, that pressure has produced results. First, a bit of background. The administration is reforming the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which sets out what defense items are subject to the stringent export control rules of the Arms Export Control Act. The principle behind the reform is sensible: Build higher walls around fewer items, and stop burdening American business if American security isn’t at risk. So far, the administration has fully revised 15 of the 21 U.S. Munitions List categories. But it’s made no public progress on categories one through three, which cover firearms, artillery, and ammunition."

More Gun Control, More Guns

At the SHOT Show, Business Booms, National Review Online, January 26, 2016. "The annual SHOT Show — Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade, i.e., the world’s largest gun show — wrapped up on Friday in Las Vegas. You might think that, with the White House talking gun control again, the mood in the industry aisles would be dour. If so, you’d be wrong. No one in any industry likes being abused by the president. But in the short run, Obama’s latest announcements will have little to no practical effect. And since everything this administration does now is short-run, the industry has less reason than ever to be concerned about the long haul."

ITAR Reform on Firearms, part 1

Bipartisan Support Grows for Reform of Rules on Gun Exports, Daily Signal, January 8, 2016. "While President Barack Obama tries to limit gun sales in the United States, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging his administration to make it easier for U.S. firearms manufacturers to export. When it comes to guns, the administration has tried to have it both ways. At home, it promotes gun control and abroad, it signs the Arms Trade Treaty, which seeks to set rules on arms exports. But under Obama’s watch, gun sales in the U.S. have boomed like never before, and the administration has promoted U.S. arms exports enthusiastically."