I can’t get too excited about Dianne Feinstein’s proposed “assault weapons ban” being dropped from the federal gun control package. Even supporters of the ban admitted it had zero chance of passing in the Senate, and it will still be proposed as part of the deal via an amendment. So, there’s really no surprise, and with the gun control package still under consideration (including a ban on large capacity magazines), and in light of the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty, there is little for Second Amendment advocates to celebrate.
The proposed U.N. Arms Trade Treaty is how the Obama administration can, along with 150 countries with representatives in New York right now, severely damage our Second Amendment. Iran, a country under Security Council sanctions for weapons proliferation (by illegally transferring guns and bombs to Syria) serves as a vice president of the conference. If your focus has not been on this proposed world-wide method of disarming citizens, it’s time to get involved. Amongst other things, the Treaty would create a “national control list” of firearms, which would regulate almost every firearm.
The seriousness of this proposed Treaty arose in October 2009, when the Obama administration announced it was overturning the position of former President George W. Bush’s administration, which had opposed a proposed Arms Trade treaty on the grounds that national controls were better. Keep in mind that the United States is the world’s biggest arms exporter with a $55 billion a year trade in conventional firearms (40% of the global total!). The Obama administration’s shift on our position launched the formal negotiations at the United Nations. Without the support of the United States, the Treaty would have had limited effect.
The National Rifle Association, through the Institute for Legislative Action, voiced its opposition to the Treaty:
“Anti-gun treaty proponents continue to mislead the public, claiming the treaty would have no impact on American gun owners. That’s a bald-faced lie. For example, the most recent draft treaty includes export/import controls that would require officials in an importing country to collect information on the ‘end user’ of a firearm, keep the information for 20 years, and provide the information to the country from which the gun was exported. In other words, if you bought a Beretta shotgun, you would be an ‘end user’ and the U.S. government would have to keep a record of you and notify the Italian government about your purchase. That is gun registration. If the U.S. refuses to implement this data collection on law-abiding American gun owners, other nations might be required to ban the export of firearms to the U.S.” http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2012/7/disinformation-continues-as-un-arms-treaty-takes-shape.aspx
If you support the Second Amendment, you must get involved and tell your representatives to vote for H.Con.Res.23 (House of Representatives) or S.Con.Res.7 (The Senate), which would resolve that 1) The President should not sign the UN Arms Treaty and 2) no federal funds be should be appropriated or authorized to implement the Arms Trade Treaty.