OBAMA BACKS GUN CONTROL TREATY
Sure, Russia doesn't like it - but who
cares about the goofy Ruskies, anymore?
President Obama speaking at the United Nations.
(CNS) - - Washington, D.C. - - Major note to the world's gun-nuts: Enjoy popping off your peashooters, guys - because you only have about three more months in which to do so.
Be you an anti-gun or a pro-gun, both sides are digging in and upping the ante in the battle over a proposed UN Treaty banning most international and domestic small arms sales, AKA the UN Gun Control Treaty, and the final vote on it will be in March of next year.
While Russia has already said it opposes the measure in the UN and Republicans oppose it in Washington, President Obama in the white house has reaffirmed he is supporting the Treaty. This reverses the US’s decades-long position.
In July, President Obama switched from supporting the UN restrictions on small arms sales to insisting he needed more time to think about it. The amount of time he needed, as it turned out, just happened to coincide with the exact number of days until the November 6th Presidential Election.
On November 7, less than 24 hours after winning re-election, President Obama instructed America’s UN representative to vote for the Arms Trade Treaty. Conspicuously scheduled for the day after the US election, the vote by the UN’s Disarmament Committee overwhelmingly approved ATT with Russia being the only major arms exporter to oppose it. While this only saves the treaty and reschedules a vote for March, 157 of the 193 member nations voted to keep ATT alive and move it onto the next phase.
As detailed by The Hill, President Obama was widely blamed by gun control advocates for derailing the global treaty, pulling his support in the run-up to the November Presidential election. Critics accused him of taking both sides of the issue in an attempt to hold onto the loyalty of moderate and conservative voters who support gun ownership. Now, the President has gotten back on board and publicly supports the international restrictions.
As originally written, the UN Arms Trade Treaty would ban the sale of small arms from one country to another, or from one gun manufacturer to a separate foreign country, or the citizens of a foreign country. Supporters insist the measure is meant to stop the illegal weapons trafficking to rogue elements and religious extremists throughout the world. Critics warn that the treaty could ban the sale of all firearms to all citizens of all countries.
Supporters of the treaty announced they intend to put even more restrictions and police powers into the new version when it’s debated in March 2013. Front Page Magazine quotes treaty advocate Anna Macdonald of Arms Control for Oxfam saying, “There is a risk of a diplomatic groundhog day if governments do not change their approach and get this treaty agreed as a matter of urgency.”
Some of the items treaty-backers want added include:
* Adding munitions to the list of regulated items, in addition to the actual firearms.
* Adding individual gun parts and components to the list of regulated items.
* Requiring more detailed record keeping of firearms manufacturing and sales.
* Require more reporting to global monitors of firearm sales.
* Eliminate exemptions for gun sales in support of national security.
* Eliminate exemptions for corporations that would protect their proprietary and “commercially sensitive” data.
* Eliminate exemptions for pre-existing arms sales agreements.
Easy and simple solution:
When Uncle Sam comes a knockin' - only give him some of what you're rockin'!
You're welcome.
posted by Blogger | 10:00 AM
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