FireArms Import

What are the Challenges We Face?

Regulatory Uncertainty Remains a Key Business Risk

The F.A.I.R. Trade Group works closely with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Customs and the Department of State to improve regulations governing the importation and export of firearms. The F.A.I.R. Trade Group has been very successful in achieving results on behalf of the entire import community.

Previous efforts concerning A.T.F. regulations include our work with senior A.T.F. officials to: clarify the recently revised A.T.F. Form 6 permit which had caused unnecessary processing delays, establish clearly defined standards for documents submitted to A.T.F. in support of permit applications, re-classify highly sought non-importable firearms as importable curio and relics, and, continued implementation of management and transition issues at A.T.F. Our results have translated into immediate benefits for the import community in terms of improving efficiency and economic opportunity.

We have also worked to change the policies of the Department of State as they relate to the importation and export of firearms and ammunition. Our efforts include an ongoing and cooperative dialogue with senior level officials and political appointees at the Department concerning the U.S. origin doctrine and the Voluntary Restraint Agreement with Russia among others. We are often in contact with the Department concerning tariff and sanction-related matters.

On behalf of the import/export community we keep abreast of breaking news regarding pending regulatory action and provide the best analysis of current events. Our objective is to allow the membership to mitigate regulatory risk through interactions with regulators on behalf of the industry and to provide a better understanding of the process, likely actions and the impact those actions will have on your business.

Legislative Issues Continue to be Prominent

Firearms owners and businesses in the trade benefited from limited Congressional action last Congress. Several legislative initiatives dealing with firearms policy will undoubtedly allow for consideration of measures important to the importing and exporting community. FAIR is working with Congress to promote and improve legislation that could have a profound impact on the membership of our organization. Included in these initiatives are efforts to reform BATF enforcement procedures and to reform ATF import policy to clarify certain import restrictions.

What Can Be Done?

F.A.I.R. sees an opportunity to work constructively through the Bush Administration to reach a number of our policy objectives. Our interaction with the principals who help establish the policy objectives for the next year leads us to understand that while this Administration holds a different perspective on the legitimate role that importers and exporters of firearms and ammunition play in providing hunters, sportsmen and collectors with a variety of reasonably priced products that meet their needs, transferring that view into regulatory certainty can be difficult.

It is a fact that the anti-gun community has not gone away. Shamelessly exploiting September 11, they link terrorism to our “lax” regulatory structure—these zealots call America “the great gun bazaar.” Additionally, holdovers from the prior Administration and officials with anti-firearms leanings continue to thwart our objectives.

Legislative Action: Congress is again expected to play a role in developing firearms policy. While the anti-firearms community has lost some ground to our victories, their agenda still includes: enhanced regulatory oversight; enhanced background checks; additional ownership restrictions; a ban on .50 caliber rifles; a ban on the possession of firearms by a non-US citizens; and, a ban on the importation of pre-ban high-cap magazines.

Regulatory Action: It is increasingly apparent that ATF and Customs will intensify oversight over firearms transactions to ensure that strict adherence to the law is observed. Unfortunately, such enhancements bring with them mistakes and over-zealous actions on the part of the government. Reports of enhanced Customs inspections and evaluations demonstrate some insight into the future for firearms trade. Offsetting these trade-slowing activities, FAIR looks forward to stimulating increased interaction between State, Customs and ATF as part of the effort to increase user satisfaction and integration of the import/export permit process, as well as prevent errors in government enforcement programs.