On January 23, a group consisting of two Democratic Senators (Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Dick Durbin of Illinois) along with two Democratic Representatives (Joaquin Castro of Texas and Norma Torres of California) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo asking for tighter export controls and end-use checks on firearms. In 2020, primary responsibility for export control for firearms had been transferred from the State Department to the Commerce Department. The letter pointed out that license approvals had increased by more than $1 billion annually, compared to the time period when the State Department controlled these approvals. The letter argued that significant changes are needed to US policy to prevent U.S.-made weapons from being used in criminal activity and human rights abuses abroad. On October 27, the Commerce Department had paused export license approvals for certain firearms and ammunition for 90 days, through January 25. The Congressional letter asked that this pause be extended, along with 11 changes in US gun export licensing policy. In particular, the letter asked that export license validity be reduced from four years to one year, particularly for destinations of concern. The letter concluded by requesting a reply by February 7.
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