Export Control Reform and the Ammunition Industry
What will that change mean for exporters of ammunition (other than the need to learn new acronyms)?
Two consequences of ECR for ammunition exporters stand out. First, U.S. exporters of sporting ammunition will be able to ship to 34 countries without a license. That’s the good news. The second major consequence, the not-so-good news, is that determining which ammunition is controlled by the EAR and which by the ITAR will involve some analysis and may sometimes require an official government determination.
Ship ammunition and components to 34 countries without a license!
Exporters of ammunition that migrates from the ITAR to the EAR will enjoy one big benefit that exporters of firearms will not. Ammunition exporters will not need any export license at all to export ammunition or components to the following countries:
Australia | Estonia | Ireland | Netherlands | Slovenia |
Austria | Finland | Italy | New Zealand | Spain |
Belgium | France | Japan | Norway | Sweden |
Bulgaria | Germany | South Korea | Poland | Switzerland |
Croatia | Greece | Latvia | Portugal | Turkey |
Czech Republic | Hungary | Lithuania | Romania | United Kingdom |
Denmark | Iceland | Luxembourg | Slovakia |
In contrast, exporters of firearms will require an export license for exports to all countries. Exports of firearm components will generally require an export license, too, with exceptions for low value shipments ($500 of less) of most parts and a few other exceptions. Read more