in effect
This is a final rule from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), effective September 30, 2025, that reverses most of a 2024 rule governing how American companies must obtain permission to export firearms, ammunition, parts, and accessories overseas. It rescinds the April 2024 interim rule in its near-entirety, restoring export licensing rules to how they stood before May 30, 2024.
The stricter license application requirements, additional documentation demands, and tighter review policies introduced by the 2024 interim rule are removed. The crime control (CC) license review policy for firearms exports is rolled back to its pre-2024 form, meaning fewer destinations require that specific review layer. The restriction that excluded Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries from the “Baggage” license exception — which allows travelers to take personal firearms abroad — is eliminated. Four new Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs: 0A506, 0A507, 0A508, 0A509) created by the 2024 rule are kept, as is the requirement to include ECCN classifications in export filings. A Congressional notification requirement for certain semi-automatic firearms license applications is removed from the regulations.
U.S. firearms manufacturers, exporters, and small businesses that sell guns, ammunition, optics, and related parts overseas will face fewer paperwork requirements and shorter licensing backlogs when seeking approval to ship products abroad. American hunters, competitive shooters, and other private individuals traveling internationally with personal firearms regain access to the simpler baggage license exception for CARICOM destinations. Foreign buyers seeking to purchase U.S.-made firearms through commercial channels will find it easier for sellers to obtain the necessary export licenses.