The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that The Sportsman’s Guide, Inc. (Sportsman’s) of South St. Paul, Minnesota, has agreed to pay a $183,500 civil penalty to settle charges that it exported optical sighting devices for firearms and associated parts to various countries in violation of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) charged that, on 61 occasions between October 1999 and March 2002, Sportsman’s exported optical sighting devices and parts to Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Uruguay without obtaining the required Department of Commerce export licenses for these items.

Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Wendy L. Wysong commended Special Agent Diane Zedde, formerly with the Chicago Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office, Wendy Hauser, for their work on this investigation.