USTR trade barrier shake-up gets nod from progressives on gun imports

Increasing leniency from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) about what constitutes a trade barrier has been ruffling the feathers of big business and is now getting a thumbs-up from progressives in Congress.

The latest example is the decision not to count foreign countries’ import license requirements on guns, ammunition and explosives as an impediment to trade in the USTR’s national trade estimate.

The move was praised by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Reps. Joquin Casto (D-Texas)...