International Traffic In Arms Regulations

Summary of International Traffic In Arms Regulations

Known commonly by the acronym ITAR, a body of Federal regulations designed to restrain, regulate, and control the manufacture, exportation, and importation of military equipment and weapons. The regulations which derive their authority primarily from which the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (22 U.S.C. 2778) provide that: The President is authorized to control, in furtherance of world peace and the security and foreign policy of the United States, the export and import of arms, including technical data relating thereto [and] to designate those articles which shall be considered as arms, ammunition, and implements of war, including technical data relating thereto. By virtue of several executive orders, the president has delegated his authority under the law to the secretaries of state and the treasury; both of these officials are obliged to seek the concurrence of the secretary of defense in all modifications of the list of articles to be controlled.

The articles subject to controls are enumerated in the U.S. Munitions List. U.S. manufacturers and exporters of articles on the Munitions List are obliged to register with the Office of Munitions Control, Department of State, by filing Form DSP-Importers register with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Department of the Treasury, by filing Form 4587. Registration fees for manufacturers, exporters, and importers are: one year, $ 125; two years, $250; three years, $350; four years, $425; five years, $500.

In addition to registration, U.S. manufacturers and importers are required to obtain occupational licenses from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Exporters do not require an occupational license, but must obtain a transaction license from the Office of Munitions Control for each export shipment.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 directs the secretary of the treasury to prepare a listing of weapons suitable for importation into the United States; this authority has been delegated to the director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The listing so prepared constitutes the U.S. Munitions Import List, which is a sublisting within the U.S. Munitions List.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)