House Subcommittee Investigating US Decision to Loosen Restrictions on Gun Silencer Exports
A House oversight subcommittee is investigating the Trump administration's July decision to loosen export restrictions on gun silencers (see 2007130014), saying it is “deeply concerned” about a potential conflict of interest behind the decision. In a July 28 letter to the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., chairman of the House Oversight’ Committee Subcommittee on National Security, cited a July 13 report in The New York Times that the decision was made at the “urging” of White House lawyer Michael Williams, who previously served as general counsel to a gun advocacy group.
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In the letter, Lynch asked for records and emails involving Williams and gun groups, White House officials and administration agencies related to the firearm silencer policy change. The loosened restrictions could allow the devices to be shipped to private companies in foreign countries, which could imperil U.S. troops abroad, Lynch said. “Michael Williams’ involvement in U.S. gun policy ... raises significant concerns about whether the safety of our men and women in uniform is being exchanged for personal or commercial profit,” the letter said. Lynch requested the relevant records from the Jan. 1, 2019, to July 10, 2020, period by Aug. 11.