Could suppressors become easier to obtain here? A recent policy change has shooting sports and hunting enthusiasts hopeful about deregulation.
On July 10th, the State Department announced it would overturn the 18-year ban on the commercial exportation of American-made suppressors.
This development was part of a 2017 interagency review stemming from a complaint by U.S. companies worried over losing sales opportunities to foreign competitors. Moreover, previous legislative efforts to lift the April 2002 ban on commercial suppressor exports, specifically the Suppressor Export Act (H.R. 5135), failed to gain traction in Congress.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)— tasked with “ensuring commercial exports of defense articles and defense services advance U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives”—noted the policy change:
Effective immediately, the Department of State has rescinded its April 18, 2002, firearms sound suppressor policy. This policy provided for enhanced guidelines for the approval and issuance of export licenses for sound suppressors and restricted their export to only official end users such as government or military entities. Henceforth, DDTC will handle suppressor exports in a manner consistent with other USML-controlled technologies. This requires that applicants must identify a specific end user. Applications for the permanent export of hardware must include purchase documentation, a DSP-83 non-transfer and end use certificate (as suppressors are considered Significant Military Equipment under the USML), an end-user statement, and an import permit (if required by the destination country). Consistent with current licensing practices, all licenses will be reviewed and adjudicated on a case-by-case basis, and any pre-license checks or post shipment verifications will be conducted as deemed necessary and appropriate based on the totality of the circumstances of the transaction. Standard staffing protocols within the Department and interagency will be applied as required.