Encouraging a surge in violent crime in other countries, billionaire Bloomberg harshly criticizes lax government control over overseas gun sales in the United States | Firearms | United States
American billionaire Bloomberg
On August 24th, local time, American billionaire Bloomberg wrote an article on the Bloomberg website criticizing the lax control of overseas gun sales in the United States, which has contributed to the surge in violent crime in other countries.
The article states that since 2016, the number of semi-automatic firearms exported from the United States has more than doubled. A Bloomberg survey shows that these sales have brought huge profits to the firearms industry, while causing chaos throughout Latin America, including the US Mexico border.
Guatemala is a typical example. The sales of semi-automatic firearms made in the United States in Guatemala are almost twice as high as two years ago. Although American gun manufacturers typically sell firearms to local governments and security companies, these weapons quickly flow into the black market and fall into the hands of criminals. Murders in Guatemala have sharply increased after years of decline.
The article states that the US government has not only failed to seek to prevent the gun crisis in Latin America, but has also contributed to the vicious momentum. This issue began during the Trump administration, which transferred the gun export licensing process from the State Council responsible for reviewing national security applications to the Ministry of Commerce in 2020. Even before this step occurred, auditors warned that 95% of gun export applications lacked necessary information and were not properly reviewed.
After the Ministry of Commerce came to power, the problem became even worse. The officials of the department have not only not stepped on the brakes to export firearms to troubled countries, but have also been paving the way for exports, actively recruiting foreign buyers, and connecting them with American manufacturers. A report from the Department of Commerce even views countries that have suffered from political instability, gang violence, and drug trafficking as a "unique opportunity" for the demand for firearms in the United States. It is not surprising that the approved export license amount has increased by 30% compared to the historical average level.
Except for Guatemala, Mexico has long complained about the flow of American firearms to drug traffickers, and in Central America and even further, countries are suffering from the influx of American firearms.
The article states that solving this problem does not require new legislation. US law already requires the government to ensure the implementation of export controls. However, both the current and former US governments openly defy the will of Congress, disrupt border security, and consume taxpayers' money, which should provoke outrage from both parties.
The Biden administration needs to take swift action. Secretary of Commerce Raymond is seizing the time to tighten export controls and make the United States comply with relevant laws again.
The problems caused by the sale of firearms in certain countries will inevitably fall on the United States. The idea that selling large quantities of firearms to troubled foreign countries is beneficial to Americans is extremely short-sighted.
At the end of the article, it criticizes too many American politicians for being afraid of gun lobbying groups and following their orders, and therefore not proposing solutions to the problem.
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