Reuters: US halts exports of most civilian firearms for 90 days

[Kalthoff]

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. has stopped issuing export licenses for most civilian firearms and ammunition for 90 days for all non-governmental users, the Commerce Department said on Friday, citing national security and foreign policy interests.

The Commerce Department did not provide further details for the pause, which also includes shotguns and optical sights, but said an urgent review will assess the "risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities."

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-halts-exports-most-civilian-firearms-90-days-2023-10-27/

 

[DieJager]

That sucks.
Interested to see if this impacts us Europeans regarding dangerous game ammo. Send an email to my gun shop for stocking up some solids. You never know

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-halts-exports-most-civilian-firearms-90-days-2023-10-27/

@Kalthoff
That's going to affect a lot of people both manufacturers and importers. I wonder how we will get on in AUS
Bob

 

[Surgeon1]

Too much government and one more way to stop hunting on foreign lands and Gun ownership!

 

[HWL]

This will help european sporting arms & ammunition industry greatly!!!
Thanks to the US government to save european jobs.

HWL

 

[R eight]

@Kalthoff
That's going to affect a lot of people both manufacturers and importers. I wonder how we will get on in AUS
Bob

Doesn’t affect Australia and probably not much in Europe either

 

[FlowHamed18]

Doesn’t affect Australia and probably not much in Europe either

I think so too...

A lot of weapon and ammunition industry is located in Europe. There are a lot of possibilities...

Personally I would always choose a German, Belgium or Austrian rifle over any other brand... they simply know how to build reliable weapons...

 

[geoff rath]

Doesn’t affect Australia and probably not much in Europe either

Sadly, it will; the European industry will keep on supplying, their primers are starting to appear on shelves, we have our own projectile makers, U S powders are an issue. Importing U S-made firearms will be affected. Luckily my component assets are pretty good , others maybe not so much.

 

[R eight]

Sadly, it will; the European industry will keep on supplying, their primers are starting to appear on shelves, we have our own projectile makers, U S powders are an issue. Importing U S-made firearms will be affected. Luckily my component assets are pretty good , others maybe not so much.

It doesn’t apply to Australia…apparently.

View attachment 566428

 

[DieJager]

I am confused, does anyone know if it really effects the trade with Europe or is it speculation and are we exempted?

 

[FlowHamed18]

Depending on your needs or plans you might be effected.

Speaking for myself using only European products and reloading my own ammunition, I am not really affected right now...

 

[R eight]

I am confused, does anyone know if it really effects the trade with Europe or is it speculation and are we exempted?

Wassenaar Arrangement - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I don’t think Russia is exempt. But I reckon most of Europe will be.

 

[DieJager]

Depending on your needs or plans you might be effected.

Yeah that is what I worry about. Ordered some 375 DGS and DGX ammo but they do not know when they will arrive. Could be just normal order of business but I worry this decision by the US government is the reason.

I know Norma makes 375 munition with the combo solids and softs. I am interested which ammo manufacturers from the EU also makes them.

 

[FlowHamed18]

There are some manufacturers for a .375 HH

RWS for example...

RWS .375 H&H Mag. UNI Classic 195g/301grs.

RWS .375 H&H Mag. UNI Classic 195g/301grs. online kaufen bei Frankonia.de

www.frankonia.de

Or Brenneke...

Brenneke .375 H&H Mag. TOG 175g/270grs.

Brenneke .375 H&H Mag. TOG 175g/270grs. online kaufen bei Frankonia.de

www.frankonia.de

Or Sako...

Sako .375 H&H Mag. Powerhead Blade 169g/260grs.

Sako .375 H&H Mag. Powerhead Blade 169g/260grs. online kaufen bei Frankonia.de

www.frankonia.de

 

[mark-hunter]

This is good place to ask.
Did anybody hunt DG with RWS or Sako 375 H&H some of those bullets?
Specifically, buffalo?

Here, on forum most popular are swift a frame, nosler partition, trophy bonded bear claw.

Any experience with European ammunition for DG?

 

[Phil Giordano]

This will help european sporting arms & ammunition industry greatly!!!
Thanks to the US government to save european jobs.

HWL

Totally agree
We have a lot of good rifles & ammo producers here in EU
Still, it's sad to know

 

[DieJager]

Yeah I know a lot make 375 ammo but most of them do not make matching solids. I found that also Sologne from France makes them in the combo soft/solids

Another one is Sax from Germany. But they make a hybrid bullet soft/solid but I am not trying those out on Elephant. They advertise with it but I need more info.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

This is good place to ask.
Did anybody hunt DG with RWS or Sako 375 H&H some of those bullets?
Specifically, buffalo?

Here, on forum most popular are swift a frame, nosler partition, trophy bonded bear claw.

Any experience with European ammunition for DG?

With RWS 300Gr round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids (now discontinued). Performance could hardly be improved upon.
Caliber- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

With RWS 300Gr Kegelspitze Cone Points (now discontinued). Also used for the first shot on all of my Cape buffalo hunts until 1993. Absolutely devastating on the great cats, but used to blow apart on Cape buffalo if you struck the scapula/shoulder bone or even a rib bone.
Caliber- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

With RWS 400Gr round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids (now discontinued). Excellent velocity and accuracy, but horribly jacketed bullets. Steel envelopes were far too thin & brittle.
Caliber- .404 Jeffery

With the old flat nosed Norma 300Gr monolithic solids (the currently manufactured ones exclusively employ a round nose). Very impressive straight line penetration.
Caliber- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

With Labor Fur Ballistik 900Gr copper jacketed flat nosed FMJ solid. Very satisfactory terminal performance.
Caliber- .600 Nitro Express

 

[Hunter4752001]

Thanks to info from ( @R eight ?), last week I took a deep dive into the US Dept Commerce / BIS website, to see the actual documents, as distinct from the media articles.

The BIS documents indicate that the pause on export licences won't apply to Countries which belong to Country Group A:1. That group comprises countries which are "Wassenaar Participation States", a global treaty re weapon controls. Those countries are listed in Supplement 1, part 740 of the EAR (Export Administration Regulations). It lists Australia as a Country Group A:1 country. As a consequence the 'pause' shouldn't affect Australia or most European countries.

However I see two problems which may cause difficulty:
i. The bureaucrats administering the system may decide to apply it more widely and ignore the exceptions,
ii. US based suppliers may decide that its all too much trouble, expense and risk. Easier to simply not engage in exports. This is already the case with many US suppliers.

I suppose it'll be a case of wait and see, but there are grounds to be hopeful.