U.N. Conference On "Small Arms" Opens
With Strong Warning From U.S.
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"...The United States believes that the responsible use of firearms
is a legitimate aspect of national life..." |
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-- John R. Bolton, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control
and International Security
Affairs |
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John R. Bolton |
Statue at U.N. Headquarters |
The "U.N. Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light
Weapons" began Monday, and
John R. Bolton, the U.S. Under
Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
Affairs, soon made it perfectly clear that the United States
would not support any proposal that threatened our Right to Keep
and Bear Arms.
Bolton reminded the U.N. about our Bill of Rights, stating, "As
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft has said, 'just as the First
and Fourth Amendments secure individual rights of speech and
security respectively, the Second Amendment protects an
individual right to keep and bear arms.'" He went on to explain,
"The United States believes that the responsible use of firearms
is a legitimate aspect of national life," and further stated,
"The United States will not join consensus on a final document
that contains measures abrogating the Constitutional right to
bear arms."
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"...The United States will not join consensus on a final document
that contains measures abrogating the Constitutional right to
bear arms..." |
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The conference has been touted by U.N. officials as an effort to
try to curtail the "illicit trade in small arms," but the draft
"Program of Action" clearly seeks to go well beyond the scope of
shutting down the international black market in military and
light weapons.
Undersecretary Bolton told the U.N., "The abstract goals and
objectives of this Conference are laudable. Attacking the global
illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) is an
important initiative which the international community should,
indeed must, address because...[t]he illicit trade in SA/LW can
be used to exacerbate conflict, threaten civilian populations in
regions of conflict, endanger the work of peacekeeping forces and
humanitarian aid workers, and greatly complicate the hard work of
economically and politically rebuilding war-torn societies."
Bolton also pointed out, "The United States goes to great lengths
to ensure that small arms and light weapons transferred under our
jurisdiction are done so with the utmost responsibility...[and]
we offer our financial and technical assistance all over the
world to mitigate the illicit trade in SA/LW."
But Under Secretary Bolton also explained that the U.S. does not
support several aspects of the draft "Program of Action,"
including measures that would restrict the legal manufacture and
transfer of firearms, prohibitions against the civilian
possession of firearms, and the promotion of "international
advocacy activity" that could directly conflict with the views of
certain countries. The opposition to this "advocacy activity"
was clearly intended to show that the U.S. objects to the idea of
U.N.-supported international anti-gun organizations promoting
propaganda attacks on our Second Amendment.
Bolton's message was met with hostility by representatives of
other nations seeking far more comprehensive restrictions on not
only trade in firearms but civilian possession across the globe.
NRA, which is working as a non-governmental organization (NGO)
with the U.N., will work to ensure that the concerns of all
law-abiding gun owners will be well represented during the rest
of this conference, which runs through July 20.
On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) read a
brief statement on the floor of the House of Representatives in
support of Secretary Bolton's comments, stating Bolton had
"placed [the U.N.] on notice that the U.S. will not join in
international gun-control efforts which would limit the rights of
civilian possession as allowed under U.S. law or infringe upon
the Second Amendment of our Constitution."
Please be sure to
also express your gratitude and support for Secretary Bolton's
support of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms while addressing the
U.N. Contact information for the U.S. Department of State is:
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
(202)647-4000
e-mail - Secretary@state.gov
Also be sure to let President George W. Bush know you support
Secretary Bolton's comments. You can contact the White House at:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
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