The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to ease export rules to allow American arms manufacturers to sell more weapons, including assault rifles, to foreign buyers, despite concerns that weakened oversight will fuel global conflict and threaten national security.

“There will be more leeway to do arms sales. You could really turn the spigot on if you do it the right way.”
—anonymous U.S. official”Aides to President Donald Trump are completing a plan to shift oversight of international non-military firearms sales from the State Department to the Commerce Department,” Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing four U.S. senior officials at various agencies. The plan is part of a broader revision of the nation’s weapons export rules that officials said is nearly finalized.

Currently, the State Department treats civilian arms exports as military sales, subjecting them to the same scrutiny as weapons like fighter jets. Under Trump’s plan, handguns and assault rifles would be moved from the State Department’s Munitions List to the Commerce Control List, which would enable quicker licensing for sales to foreign buyers.

Because the Commerce Department focuses on increasing trade, the shift is expected to significantly boost firearms and ammunition sales. Notably, following the Reuters report on Tuesday, gun stocks surged, with multiple arms companies posting their best days in several months.

“There will be more leeway to do arms sales,” an anonymous official said. “You could really turn the spigot on if you do it the right way.”