Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) discussed an updated version of the Americas Regional Monitoring of Arms Sales (ARMAS) Act at the ninth annual Center for American Progress Gun Violence Prevention Summit. The ARMAS Act would interrupt firearm trafficking from the United States to other countries in the Western Hemisphere by implementing stronger transparency and accountability for U.S. small arms exports.
Watch Rep. Castro’s remarks here.
“Nearly four years ago, the Trump administration worked with the National Rifle Association to loosen gun export regulations and unleash a flood of American-made guns on the Western Hemisphere,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro.“As we work with our allies and partners to address shared regional challenges, including forced migration and drug trafficking, Congress needs to address the role of U.S. gun exports in driving violence and instability abroad. The ARMAS Act will reestablish strong oversight of American gun exports, bring federal agencies together to disrupt arms trafficking, and build safer communities for families in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere.”
“Guns from the United States are being used by violent groups in Latin America and the Caribbean to commit atrocities and destabilize the region,” said Nick Wilson, senior director for Gun Violence Prevention at CAP. “The ARMAS Act would increase accountability and transparency in arms exports. It includes several crucial provisions that gun violence advocates and survivors have identified as key to being crucial to reducing the illegal flow of U.S. guns to other countries. I commend Rep. Castro’s leadership on this issue. If passed, the ARMAS Act would undoubtedly save lives.”
CAP’s Gun Violence Prevention Summit featured speeches and discussions from leading advocates in the gun violence prevention movement, including Deputy Directors Gregory Jackson Jr. and Rob Wilcox of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Steven Dettelbach. Topics of discussion included public health, community-based violence intervention programs, intimate partner violence, the media’s coverage of gun violence, and the federal response to U.S. gun violence.
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected].