The Hidden Policy Keeping American Guns – & Jobs ~ Made in the USA
Ammoland Inc. Posted on July 20, 2025 by F Riehl, Editor in Chief
Opinion
midjourney7-2025
The U.S. gun industry is something special. While cars and gadgets got shipped off to cheap labor overseas, many gun makers skipped that chase, pumping out revolvers and rifles from factories in the good old USA.
But have you ever thought about why?
It turns out that regulations like the **International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) **played a huge role, acting as an early version of the protectionist punch that Donald Trump’s tariffs are now delivering. It’s not just about national security; it’s about keeping jobs and know-how stateside and making America great in manufacturing. Let me break it down for you.
ITAR: More Than Just Red Tape—It’s a Barrier Against Offshoring
ITAR kicked off back in 1976 under the Arms Export Control Act, mainly to stop bad guys from getting their hands on U.S. military tech. It covers stuff on the U.S. Munitions List, like firearms, ammo, optics, and the tech behind them*—think blueprints and designs.* If a company wants to move production abroad, they’ve got to export not just the guns but all that “technical data & the know-how to make them,” and that means jumping through hoops for licenses from the State Department.
This isn’t some quick paperwork—it’s a grind with months of delays, annual fees up to $2,250, and fines that can hit over $1 million if you mess up. Even sharing info with foreign workers here in the U.S. counts as a “deemed export” and gets scrutinized. It’s like a hidden tax on going global, making it smarter to build right here.
Sound familiar? That’s exactly how Trump’s tariffs worked—like slapping 25% on steel or 10-20% on Chinese imports to make foreign stuff pricier and push companies back home. Both crank up the cost of outsourcing, whether through regs or duties, so domestic shops win out.
Proof in the Pudding: How ITAR Saved the Gun Game
Look at our firearms world—it’s a prime example of ITAR doing its thing. Unlike autos or electronics that chased low wages in Asia, gun companies kept core ops in states like South Carolina and Wisconsin. Yes, some parts come from abroad to save a buck, but the heart of it—assembly, forging, expertise—stays American, thanks to ITAR and the related ATF rules blocking easy tech transfers without risking security breaches.
On the numbers side, ITAR has kept the defense base strong, stabilizing revenue in materials and tools by stopping tech leaks and saving jobs. It’s helped us lead in cool dual-use tech, like carbon fiber composites used in firearms, without handing it over to Chinese competitors. This vibes with Trump’s first-term tariff wins, like adding over 1,000 steel jobs by 2019 and sparking a manufacturing bounce-back.
Even Trump tweaked ITAR in 2020, moving many commercial guns to the lighter Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to cut fees and boost exports without gutting home protections. Smart move—hit enemies like China hard but let allies slide, just like his selective tariffs.
The Bigger Picture: ITAR as Pure Protectionism
Beyond defense, ITAR’s a straight-up economic fortress.
Yes, ITAR hits U.S. makers with red tape and costs when exporting. But here’s the flip side: those same rules make it tough for foreign gun makers to sell into the U.S. market. To ship ITAR-controlled firearms or parts here, foreign companies via their U.S. importers have to jump through the same licensing hoops and register with the U.S. government—an expensive, time-consuming process that many simply avoid.
The result? U.S. companies keep their edge, and the jobs stay here.
It creates a “buy American” vibe, shielding firearms from the globalization that gutted other industries. Sure, critics warn it might push some non-gun R&D overseas, but for firearms? It’s a win—companies skip the hassle and keep building and assembling stateside.
Trump’s tariffs are doing the same, fighting “unfair” trade to bring jobs back, even if they bumped up gun costs through pricier imported materials. Both got flak for higher prices, but the payoff? Long-term self-reliance. ITAR’s been proving this for decades, keeping our gun sector tough and American.
In the end, ITAR shows how smart government moves*—dressed as security but packing economic muscle—*beat blind free trade. It’s the blueprint that Trump’s tariffs continue to follow, favoring U.S. production and proving that protectionism works.
If it means more American-made ARs and fewer foreign knockoffs, count me in. What do you think?
What do I think?
I think the man (Trump) is bloody BRILLIANT).
I think that anyone who underestimates will be the FOOL!.
Proof in the Pudding: How ITAR Saved the Gun Game----I didn’t write that but it was PRICELESS!
WWG1WGA
NCSWIC