EXCLUSIVE – A GOP lawmaker is pushing for all guns used by the U.S. military to be made in America by U.S. companies, an effort that could shake up how the Defense Department sources weapons.
Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH) is introducing the Make American Guns Again Act, a nod to President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, to force Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to conduct a study on foreign-made small arms, light weapons, and weapon parts that are either built outside of the country or made in the United States by a foreign-owned company.
With the legislation, the first-term Ohio Republican seeks to support domestic gun manufacturers and bolster U.S. supply chain independence.
“It’s Ohio common sense, foreign entities should not control our military’s ability to defend our liberties,” Taylor said in a Thursday statement announcing the legislation. “If our weapons supply chain is not secure, then neither is our Nation’s future.”
While the Defense Department is required to prioritize American-made products, some small arms, light weapons, and weapon parts used by U.S. forces are developed by foreign manufacturers or their U.S.-based subsidiaries.
In 2023, the Defense Department spent $16.3 billion, 3.6% of its total contract obligations, on purchases from foreign entities. It’s unclear how much of that figure is comprised of small arms, light weapons, or weapons parts. The Washington Examiner has contacted the Pentagon for more information.
According to a Washington Examiner review of contracts on USAspending.gov, the Defense Department awarded 1,163 contracts to fully foreign-owned or foreign-owned companies with manufacturers in the U.S. for small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing, totaling $863.59 million in fiscal 2024.
Taylor’s bill would require Hegseth to submit a report of the department’s findings with recommendations for buying American small arms and light weapons no later than 180 days after the legislation is enacted.
Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), an Army veteran and one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said in a statement that foreign-owned companies have “no business supplying weapons to the United States military,” arguing that it “weakens our defense posture and opens the door to unacceptable risk.”
Reps. Tony Wied (R-WI), Randy Fine (R-FL), Tom Barrett (R-MI), Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ), Mary Miller (R-IL), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) co-sponsored the bill.
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The legislation comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have pursued an “America First” agenda domestically and abroad. Trump has implemented several policies to that end since the start of his second term, heavily targeting U.S. development of artificial intelligence and energy technology.
“We’re here today because we believe that America’s destiny is to dominate every industry and be the first in every technology,” Trump said Wednesday at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit.
