By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senior Republican lawmaker on Friday threatened to subpoena the Commerce Department over records about the agency’s Oct. 27 decision to temporarily stop issuing export licenses for most civilian firearms and ammunition.
The Commerce Department in October issued a 90-day pause in order to assess the “risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities.”
Representative James Comer, chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee, who had asked Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo for documents and communications on Nov. 28, said in a letter on Friday that the department has failed to provide any documents or hold a substantive briefing.
Comer set a new deadline of Jan. 26 for Commerce to produce documents or face a potential subpoena.
The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The pause is due to end around Jan. 27, at which time Commerce could decide to make the halt on export licenses permanent, return to previous practices, or impose other permanent restrictions.
Comer’s letter said Commerce held a Dec. 15 “listening session” with congressional staff providing “only vague responses to limited questions in a half-hour format.”
Comer sought a range of material including all documents and communications between the Commerce Department and the White House.
In November, 46 Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell and John Thune, said they had “significant concerns” about the pause,” saying it “puts at stake U.S. commercial and economic interests” as well as U.S. national security and foreign policy.
The pause on export licenses for firearms and ammunition sales to non-governmental users has some exemptions including export licenses for Ukraine and Israel, and some other close allies.
The export halt covers most of the guns and ammunition that could be purchased in a U.S. gun store. Overseas customers include distributors and stores that sell firearms.
The Republican party has consistently defended gun ownership rights for Americans under the U.S. Constitution.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler)
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