Run by those who sign on to it, The Socialist- Liberals of the world.
BTW: I'm a Life Member of the NRA.NRA Takes Aim at Weapons Treaty
The powerful American gun lobby worries about the reach of a global pact on conventional arms.
July 9, 2012 RSS Feed Print
Delegations from almost 200 countries convened at the United
Nations this month to come up with a new treaty that would regulate
international trade in conventional weapons. The effort, supported by
the Obama administration, has very vocal opposition: the American gun
lobby.
Proponents of the Arms Trade Treaty argue that inadequate controls
over the international arms market result in armed violence against
civilians by human rights violators, criminals, gangs, warlords, and
terrorists. The treaty would require governments to deny weapons
transfers to states that fit certain criteria, and to develop national
laws and regulations governing imports and exports.
The United States, the world's top importer and exporter of
conventional weapons, already has a comprehensive tracking and export
control system. "We're simply bringing other countries up to our
standards," says Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control
Association. "This treaty, in all likelihood, will not require the
United States to do anything more than it is already doing."
But the American gun lobby says the ATT represents a threat to the Second Amendment.
"Depending on the scope of this treaty, it could impact gun
registration requirements in the United States, it could enact a ban on
commonly owned firearms, it could require tracking and registration of
ammunition purchases, and it could create a global gun control
bureaucracy within the U.N.," says Andrew Arulanandam, director of
public affairs at the National Rifle Association. Arulanandam says the
NRA will lobby the Senate to reject ratification if the president signs
the treaty.
Kimball says the regulation of domestic gun possession is totally
outside the scope of the treaty. Sarah Parker, senior researcher with
the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey and an adviser to the Australian
delegation to the ATT talks, agrees. "There is no attempt in the Arms
Trade Treaty to control the internal regulation of weapons, only
international transfers," she says. Both experts say there is
misinformation about the effort.
Still, the Senate and House Appropriations committees have voted to
restrict government funding for advancing the ATT. And last month, 130
House members sent a letter to President Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, arguing that the treaty must not cover small arms,
light weapons, or firearms ammunition. They also say it should recognize
the individual right of personal self-defense and the legitimacy of
hunting, sports shooting, and other lawful activities.
Conventional arms is a broad category, ranging from military systems
like tanks, aircraft, and missiles to civilian firearms. Leaving out
civilian arms would create a big loophole, experts say. "You have a very
big problem making a firm distinction between military and civilian in a
legal context" because different states define and regulate arms
differently, Parker says.
For example, in the United Kingdom, only military personnel are
allowed to have handguns, while in the United States an individual may
even own a semiautomatic rifle. Parker says it would be impossible to
come up with a universal definition for military arms that would be
comprehensive or effective in preventing irresponsible transfers—the
ultimate goal of the treaty.
But the NRA vows to keep the pressure on, and observers are waiting
to see whether that will affect the U.S. delegation's position on key
issues over the next three weeks of negotiations.
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