UN Small Arms treaty passes

Oftentimes, the UN gun grab articles out are boys who cried wolf. The reality is that there is a potential wolf, but it wasn't an imminent threat. Three things now we need to look for is this. Will Obama sign it? (probable) Will the Senate ratify it? (unknown) Will it survive SCOTUS? (unknown)


From the Washington Times

The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday signed off on a sweeping, first-of-its-kind treaty to regulate the international arms trade, brushing aside worries from U.S. gun rights advocates that the pact could lead to a national firearms registry and disrupt the American gun market.
The long-debated U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) requires countries to regulate and control the export of weaponry such as battle tanks, combat vehicles and aircraft and attack helicopters, as well as parts and ammunition for such weapons. It also provides that signatories will not violate arms embargoes, international treaties regarding illicit trafficking, or sell weaponry to a countries for genocide, crimes against humanity or other war crimes.

The treaty itself is on the UN Website. Hopefully this Link goes directly to it

The danger is in the treaty itself. 

Ammunition/Munitions

Each State Party shall establish and maintain a national control system to

regulate the export of ammunition/munitions fired, launched or delivered by the

conventional arms covered under Article 2

(1), and shall apply the provisions of

Article 6 and Article 7 prior to authorizing the export of such

ammunition/munitions.

Article 4

Parts and Components

Each State Party shall establish and maintain a national control system to

regulate the export of parts and components where the export is in a form that

provides the capability to assemble the conventional arms covered under Article 2

(1) and shall apply the provisions of Article 6 and Article 7 prior to authorizing the

export of such parts and components

 

National Control System. It's very broad. It's intended to be broad and cover most firearms.

Each State Party shall take measures necessary to implement the provisions of

this Treaty and shall designate competent

national authorities in order to have an

effective and transparent national control system regulating the transfer of

conventional arms covered under Article 2

(1) and of items covered under Article 3

and Article 4.

6. Each State Party shall designate one or more national points of contact to

exchange information on matters related to

the implementation of this Treaty. Each

State Party shall notify the Secretariat, established under Article 18, of its national

point(s) of contact and keep the information updated

 

That sounds like registration (and eventual confiscation) to me. 

These are the Export Provisions. Keep in mind that many of our firearms and ammo are imported. Glock. H&K. Wolf ammo (yeah, I know, don't recommend it).

Export and Export Assessment

1. If the export is not prohibited under Article 6, each exporting State Party, prior

to authorization of the export of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) or of

items covered under Article 3 or Article 4,under its jurisdiction and pursuant to its

national control system, shall, in an objective and non-discriminatory manner,

taking into account relevant factors, including information provided by the

importing State in accordancewith Article 8 (1), assess the potential that theconventional arms or items:

(a) would contribute to or undermine peace and security;

(b) could be used to:

(i) commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law;

(ii) commit or facilitate a serious violation of international human rights law;

A/CONF.217/2013/L.3

13-27217

6

(iii) commit or facilitate an act constituting an offence under international

conventions or protocols relating to terrorism to which the exporting State is a

Party; or

(iv) commit or facilitate an act constituting an offence under international

conventions or protocols relating to transnational organized crime to which the

exporting State is a Party.

What we need to remember is to not make a mistake many on the right did with the Bush admin regarding the so called Patriot Act. I opposed it from the start. I was wary of the DHS. I did not trust an Obama, Hillary, Kerry, or John Edwards controlled government with those powers. I didn't trust Bush with them either. When passing laws, think of the results if the worst president in the world with the worst appointees would be enforcing them. Then ask if you still support it. If the answer is no, then it's a bad law. 

More Registration here. 

Record keeping

1. Each State Party shall maintain national records, pursuant to its national laws

and regulations, of its issuance of export authorizations or its actual exports of the

conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1).

2. Each State Party is encouraged to maintain records of conventional arms

covered under Article 2 (1) that are transferred to its territory as the final destination

or that are authorized to transit or trans-ship territory u

nder its jurisdiction.

3. Each State Party is encouraged to include in those records: the quantity, value,

model/type, authorized international transfers of conventional arms covered under

Article 2 (1), conventional arms actuallytransferred, details of exporting State(s),

importing State(s), transit and trans-shipmentState(s), and end users, as appropriate.

4. Records shall be kept for a minimum of ten years

This needs to be blocked in the Senate.

The UN Arms Trade Treaty - Boy who cried wolf or actual wolf?

My opinion of the UN is that the US should get out of the UN. I have a real problem with Americans ceding sovereignty to a bunch of unelected bureaucrats.  That's not going to happen, so we need to stay alert.

There's a lot of hype over the last 15 years or so about global gun control and the UN Small Arms Treaty (now Arms Trade Treaty). A lot of the hype is dismissed in mainstream thought partly due to a lot of boy who cry wolf claims. Some of the facts to consider are this.

1. The US Constitution supercedes any treaty.
2. All treaties do not take effect until POTUS signs it and Senate ratifies it.
3. There currently is no signed agreement.
4. There ARE global gun control advocates who target "civilian" owners of firearms here in the US. Rebecca Peters is the most notable, and supports global gun control over the US "who needs to join the rest of the world."
5. There was a push for a very restrictive treaty opposed by the Bush administration which rejected it.
6. There was another treaty on the table in 2012. There was no vote, but discussion about more talks in 2013.
7. There's draft language from the last conference.

In short, right now there is a wolf pup. It's a potential threat, but not the same as a full grown timberwolf. We need to be wary and watch this, and make sure that there is no full grown wolf out there, but at the same time not to panic until it is there.

The draft language is on the UN website along with an assortment of views about what they think should happen. 

Some things from the draft language stand out.

"This treaty covers......."small arms and light weapons." 

Small arms for those who don't know cover almost all firearms outside of possibly black powder or some shotguns. It includes pistols, revolvers, and deer rifles. Keep in mind that hunting guns are or once were military guns, at least in style. The calibers are similar, or even more powerful. If you don't believe me, compare a .223 AR-15 round to a .30-06. Speaking of .30-06, that's the same caliber as the classic M1-Garand. Anyone who thinks that these don't target hunting firearms needs to "wake the bleep up and smell the Maple Nut Crunch." 

"Each state party shall establish...a national control list" 

That references small arms. 

"Each state party shall take all appropiate legislative and administrative measures necessary to impliment the provisions of this treaty and shall designate competent national authorities in order to have an effective and transparent national control system regulating the international transfer of conventional arms."

I read that as registration. "But it's international." Firearms owners reading this should look where their guns are made. While many are American, a lot of them are not. A lot of the firearms companies are not American, including some of the biggest here. Glock is an Austrian company. Beretta and Benelli are Italian. Walther, Sig Sauer, Lugar, and H&K are German. FN is Belgian. Makarov is Russian. Uzi is Israeli. Lee-Enfield is British. A lot of the American arms go overseas....or to Mexico through the Obama Administration's Fast and Furious plan.

Each state party shall designate one or more national points of contact to exchange information on matters related to implementation of this treaty. 

Sounds like registration to me.

"Each state party shall establish and maintain a national control system to regulate the export of ammunition for conventional arms...."

Great. Ammo control. This should cause .223 and .308 sales to skyrocket. .45ACP as well. There's an identical measure for parts and components too.

There's also recordkeeping provisions as well. There's several references to "unauthorized end use" as well.

That's the draft language. It could be more or less restrictive. You have Amnesty Intl, Oxfam, and Iansa pushing hard for global gun grabs in addition to the unacceptable registration requirements in this draft language treaty.

Unfortunately, registration may very well make it past SCOTUS. It's not (yet) confiscation.  Be prepared for the wolf and keep an eye out on this come March.

Global Warming Hypocracy

If you can't live what you believe and preach, sit down and shut the hell up.

From the London Telegraph. The headline says it all. 1200 limos. 140 private planes.

Ms Jorgensen reckons that between her and her rivals the total number of limos in Copenhagen next week has already broken the 1,200 barrier. The French alone rang up on Thursday and ordered another 42. "We haven't got enough limos in the country to fulfil the demand," she says. "We're having to drive them in hundreds of miles from Germany and Sweden."

If they care about the environment so much, they can fly coach, ride bikes. I'm sure that's too low class for the RFK Jr snobs who don't practice what they preach.


And there's more....

As well 15,000 delegates and officials, 5,000 journalists and 98 world leaders, the Danish capital will be blessed by the presence of Leonardo DiCaprio, Daryl Hannah, Helena Christensen, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Prince Charles. A Republican US senator, Jim Inhofe, is jetting in at the head of an anti-climate-change "Truth Squad." The top hotels – all fully booked at £650 a night – are readying their Climate Convention menus of (no doubt sustainable) scallops, foie gras and sculpted caviar wedges.

All to make policy for the little people of course....

This thing needs to crash and burn. Our world depends on this. Our freedoms depend on this. Our economy depends on this. Let's get out of the UN as well for that matter.