Murphy, Kaine, Markey, Warren, And Durbin Introduce Bicameral Bill To Fight Illegal Weapons Trafficking Into Latin America And The Caribbean

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Tuesday led U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in reintroducing the Americas Regional Monitoring of Arms Sales (ARMAS) Act to more effectively monitor and disrupt the trafficking of U.S. manufactured firearms throughout the Americas, which threatens domestic security and regional stability, puts American lives at risk, and hinders U.S. foreign policy goals in the Hemisphere. Companion legislation is being introduced in the House by U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas-20).

Presently, the U.S. Department of Commerce is responsible for licensing and oversight of the sale of certain types of firearms and ammunition but does not have sufficient monitoring capability to make informed licensing decisions to keep American-made guns away from foreign bad actors. By transferring licensing and oversight power back to the U.S. Department of State, mandating an interagency strategy to track and verify the use of exported firearms, and giving Congress more oversight of export licensing, the ARMAS Act would significantly reduce the flow of U.S. firearms into Latin America and the Caribbean that drives violence and political instability throughout the region.

"Every year, hundreds of thousands of American-made guns are illegally trafficked into Latin American countries. These guns are then used by cartels and gangs to commit violence and sow instability that has real consequences for us here at home. Our bill would overhaul the current system for approving firearms exports, increasing transparency and making it harder for dangerous people to get their hands on illegally trafficked guns," said Murphy.

"To ensure the safety of Americans and the security and prosperity of our hemisphere, we must ramp up our ability to stop the illegal trafficking of firearms throughout the region. This legislation can help us do that, by taking steps to make it harder for U.S. small arms exports to fall into the wrong hands and fuel further violence caused by gangs and cartels," said Kaine, Chair of the SFRC Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

"Gun control is not just a domestic problem-it's international. Congress must address the role of U.S. gun exports in conflicts abroad. The ARMAS Act will strengthen oversight of American gun exports and build safer communities in Latin America and the Caribbean," said Markey.

"The Trump administration can save lives and stop gang violence by limiting the export and trafficking of dangerous weapons, so there's no reason to delay these crucial policy changes. Our bill provides desperately needed oversight to keep Americans safe," said Warren.

"Our nation's weak gun laws have perpetuated the deadly cycle of firearms trafficking, allowing a steady stream of illicit guns into Latin America and the Caribbean. With the ARMAS Act, my colleagues and I are standing for stronger oversight of America's gun exports by requiring interagency strategies and disrupting illegal arms trafficking," said Durbin.

"Our country's broken gun laws have global consequences-they have destabilized nations and fueled violence in the streets of Mexico, the Caribbean, and across the Western Hemisphere for decades. The ARMAS Act is a necessary step to curbing the flow of U.S. made weapons to Latin America and saving lives. The Trump administration's unregulated export regulations spread terror far beyond our own borders. It's time to stop this carnage and hold the State Department accountable for regulating gun exports," said Castro.

Bill Summary:

• The bill requires the Secretary of Commerce to return authority over the export of previously covered items to the Department of State within 1 year of enaction and provides both Departments rulemaking authority to implement this directive. This section also limits the Department of Commerce's ability to promote the export of firearms after the transfer of its relevant authority.
• The bill requires the Department of State, in consultation with the Department of Commerce, to produce a report and interagency strategy to Congress on efforts to track and verify end-user information of exported firearms, the identity of firearms, and other related performance objectives to disrupt the illegal export or diversion of firearms to covered countries.
• The bill defines covered countries as the Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• The bill prohibits the transfer of covered munitions to the government of a covered country or individuals inside a covered country until the Secretary establishes a program prohibiting the retransfer of covered munitions without the consent of the US and appropriate registration and end-use monitoring.
• The bill provides specific, uniform information collection requirements that must be submitted to Congress before granting an export license or other authorization within 15 or 30 days (subject to the recipient country). It also provides for joint congressional disapproval of a proposed export license within the above timeframes.
• The bill directs the Secretary of State and relevant officials to work with national and subnational authorities in covered countries to increase participation in the ATF's eTrace system by making it available in French Creole and authorizing appropriations.
• The bill directs the Secretary of State to update the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative's Results Framework to include metrics related to combatting firearms trafficking.

The ARMAS Act is endorsed by the Newtown Action Alliance, Stop U.S. Arms to Mexico (a project of Global Change), and the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC).

For full text of the bill click here.