The UN debacle - day by day.

[P95Carry]

NRA update and first few days summary just in -

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U.N. GUN BAN CONFERENCE UPDATE

With the "U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation
of the Programme of Action to Prevent and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in
Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects" having begun on Monday,
June 26, here are some of the "highlights" (and "lowlights) of the
week's events.

Day One, Monday, June 26: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan claims the
Conference's purpose was not to ban "law abiding citizens right to bear
arms..." However, others in the anti-gun cabal obviously disagree, as
evidenced by this statement from Indonesia's representative: "We
believe that no armed group outside of the State should be allowed to
bear weapons. We also believe that regulating civilian possession of
Small Arms/Light Weapons will enhance our efforts to prevent its misuse.
In our view, the issue of ammunition should also be addressed in the
context of the ProgramME of Action because in the absence of ammunition,
small arms and light weapons pose no danger." Regardless of Annan's
statement, the topic of "regulation" of civilian possession is obviously
still alive.

Day Two, Tuesday, June 27: U.S. Under Secretary of State Robert Joseph.
Joseph politely but forcefully gave the U.S. "red lines" -- issues which
the U.S. strongly opposes and will not allow into any Conference report
or recommendations. These include interference with Americans' Right To
Bear Arms, a U.N. ban on transfer of arms to freedom fighters and
international regulation of ammunition. The U.S. also said it was not
ready to commit to any future conferences on small arms. As Joseph noted
later, "The U.S. Constitution guarantees the rights of our citizens to
keep and bear arms, and there will be no infringement of those
rights..The United States will not agree to any provisions restricting
civilian possession, use or legal trade of firearms inconsistent with
our laws and practices."

Day Three, Wednesday, June 28: A new draft of the U.N. "Small Arms"
Conference "final" report became public. Unfortunately, the draft
contained provisions on two issues the U.S. considers "red lines" and
will not accept -- a U.N. ban on transfer of arms to freedom fighters
and international regulation of ammunition. The proposed document also
calls for U.N. meetings on "small arms" up to and including additional
conferences in 2008, 2010, and 2012! The U.S. is opposed to these
constant meetings which seem to rehash the same issues.

Day Four, Thursday, June 29: The Swiss Small Arms Survey (an anti-gun
think tank) released its book supporting international regulation of
ammunition. Although the U.S. continues to strongly oppose the
inclusion of ammunition in any Conference report, several countries
insist on pushing the concept. In another development, the President of
the Conference appointed three "facilitators" to work on the text of the
final report. The so-called facilitators are from Switzerland, Columbia
and Japan.

America's gun owners must continue to be vigilant and to take action on
this front. For additional information on the U.N.'s attempt to impose
its anti-gun will on the U.S. and around the world, please visit
www.NRAILA.org, where daily postings tracking the U.N. Conference can be
found. Also, please visit www.stopUNgunban.org, or call (800) 672-0636.
This site provides valuable information and an opportunity to order
Wayne LaPierre's new book The Global War On Your Guns. The book spells
out a chilling warning that gun owners in the United States and abroad
must heed, and exposes a far-reaching scheme to pass a global ban on
civilian ownership of arms--including YOURS! Help stop the U.N.'s
attempt to thwart our Freedom. Please visit the site or call the
toll-free number today!


NRA NOT ALONE IN ITS IRE AGAINST U.N.

As noted in the previous story, America's gun owners are no doubt most
focused on U.N. efforts to promote transnational anti-gun laws.
However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to recent oil
for food, sex, and corruption scandals at the world body, a story in
today's Washington Times notes that Members of the U.S. House of
Representatives are promoting legislation to withhold U.S. contributions
to the U.N. Among the reasons cited for these actions are: recent
remarks by a U.N. bureaucrat that the U.S. government needs to do more
to defend the U.N. to the American public; displeasure with the makeup
of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council that includes some of the world's
most notorious human rights abusers and sponsors of terrorism; and the
U.S. goal of implementing a proportional voting system on financial
matters, where member-nations' votes would be commensurate with the
percentage of dues they contribute.

NRA APPLAUDS CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS FOR INCLUDING
GUN OWNERSHIP RIGHTS IN THEIR "AMERICAN VALUES AGENDA"

The NRA is pleased by Tuesday's announcement by House Congressional
leaders to include gun ownership rights as part of their 2006 "American
Values Agenda".

"On behalf of our four million NRA members nationwide, we deeply
appreciate the House Republican leadership for recognizing the
fundamental importance of protecting law-abiding Americans' Second
Amendment rights," said Chris W. Cox, NRA's chief lobbyist. "We strongly
encourage and endorse these pro-gun bills as part of the their "American
Values Agenda.'"

"Family, faith, patriotism and hard work bind us together as Americans.
Our laws should reflect those priorities, and House Republicans are
committed to the American Values Agenda, policies that stress the core
values on which our nation was built," said House Majority Whip Roy
Blunt (R-Mo.).

House Republican leaders have put together a package of "pro-freedom"
bills slated for votes this summer and fall. Two of those measures are
H.R. 5092 and H.R. 5013, bills that are also among NRA's top legislative
priorities.

H.R. 5092 is the "Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
(BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006." This measure would make
critical changes in the way BATFE enforces federal firearm laws. H.R.
5092 was introduced after abuses were exposed in several BATFE oversight
hearings by the House Crime Subcommittee held this spring.

H.R. 5013, the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act", would
prohibit the confiscation of legal firearms from law-abiding citizens
during national emergencies, barring practices like those employed by
officials in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The NRA
recently passed a similar measure into state law in Alaska, Idaho,
Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Virginia, and Louisiana.

"NRA members, gun owners and sportsmen across the country should contact
their congressmen, urging them to support these pro-gun bills. No
matter what the circumstances, lawful gun owners have the right to
possess their firearms in their homes. That's what this legislation
ensures," concluded Cox.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[MattInFla]

True, but they have the power to tell a government what to do. We are not safe from the UN. If they pass a resolution to ban all small arms, all member nations must comply with that resolution. Meaning bye bye to the 2nd.

This is a huge deal and must be watched closely.

Not so. No treaty may modify the Constitution. So such a UN treaty would not in itself be an immediate ban on firearms ownership in the US.

However, this merits close scrutiny, as such a resolution would certainly be used by an anti-gun administration or Congress to impose another idiotic ban.

Matt

[AirForceShooter]

a Great reply



AFS

[ExSoldier]

Not so. No treaty may modify the Constitution.Matt

Sorry Matt...but you're wrong. The mechanism is built into the Constitution and as a part of the Constitution from the start it is already legal....right along with both the Formal and Informal Amendment process and the CON-CON (Constitutional Convention) process which could actually scrap the whole document to start over from scratch. This is why we must NEVER allow any contemporary politician to issue a call for such a CON-CON. I know it's been tried in the recent past, but like any Constitutional Amendment, it has a distinct time limit to expire. It requires (IIRC) 38 states to ratify the convention within a seven year period. In the 1980's we got to 35 before the time ran out.

Who controlled Congress in the 1980's? Whew! That was close. I'll bet you never even knew. That's not a slam on you...it's just that this is my career and I've already been a Teacher of the Year once....so I'm at the top of my game. Only 5 more years till retirement.

The Constitution gives the President the power of the Executive to make treaties with foreign entities. The CHECK is that the Senate must ratify the treaty. Presumably (in the eyes of Founding Fathers) the Senate will act in the true "best interests" of the country.

Here's the nightmare scenario: We lose the Oval Office to Hillary, we lose control of the Senate to the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party and BILL becomes Secretary General of the UN. Something he has made no secret of coveting. If anybody screamed CONFLICT OF INTEREST I'm sure they'd happily get a divorce...having achieved the pinnacle of success each needed the other to get.

What do you think their #1 target (sorry) is going to be? If you're thinking the GUNS you're in the "X" ring!

[Tom357]

True, but they have the power to tell a government what to do. We are not safe from the UN. If they pass a resolution to ban all small arms, all member nations must comply with that resolution. Meaning bye bye to the 2nd.

This is a huge deal and must be watched closely.

I agree that it needs to be watched closely, but the UN does not have governing (or super-governing) authority over member nations. If the UN passes a resolution, member nations don't have to comply, although there may be enormous peer pressure to do so. While the Constitution provides for amendment, such modifications would originate from within our government, not imposed by the UN.

[P95Carry]

Today's updates -

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U.N. Conference On "Small Arms" Updates--Day Seven

The "U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects," is currently underway.

Read More: http://www.nraila.org/CurrentLegisla...d.aspx?ID=2283

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Gary Mauser: Statement At UN Small Arms Conference

GaryMouser.net

Prof. Gary Mauser highlights the failure of the Canadian registration system before the U.N. Conference.

http://www.garymauser.net/MauserUN2006.html

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Human Rights Atrocities: The Consequences Of United Nations Gun Confiscation In East Africa

Independence Institute

On June 26, the United Nations convened a major conference on gun control. Before demanding further control, the delegates ought to insist that the United Nations halt the use of torture, arson, and murder in the carrying-out of existing U.N. gun control programs.

http://www.davekopel.org/2a/foreign/kenya-uganda.pdf

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[Lumberjack98]

Scary stuff.

I was not correct in my previous post and I aplogize. The correct information has been posted by other members.

I'm very concerned that if the UN does pass something like this and the democrats take the white house and a majority of congress, that we will have similar legislation introduced and passed in congress.

[Canuck]

Scary stuff.

I was not correct in my previous post and I aplogize. The correct information has been posted by other members.

I'm very concerned that if the UN does pass something like this and the democrats take the white house and a majority of congress, that we will have similar legislation introduced and passed in congress.

I have the same worry here in Canada. Especially since the delegation sent by us has been very anti-gun, pro UN. I'm really dissapointed so far.

[ExSoldier]

I agree that it needs to be watched closely, but the UN does not have governing (or super-governing) authority over member nations. If the UN passes a resolution, member nations don't have to comply, although there may be enormous peer pressure to do so. While the Constitution provides for amendment, such modifications would originate from within our government, not imposed by the UN.

You are correct, but there is more than one way to amend the Constitution. Please read carefully MY post that immediately precedes yours.

Regretably, many of our POLS have sold their souls for a small bite of power and they no longer value our sovereignty or our liberty. If this political view comes to power in both the legislative and executive branches, our way of life could vanish in the blink of an eye.

[Tom357]

You are correct, but there is more than one way to amend the Constitution. Please read carefully MY post that immediately precedes yours...

I did have your post in mind. Lumberjack expressed a commonly held perception that the UN has some kind of authority or control over member nations. As you point out, we would have to be sold out from within our government. Kofi Annan can't impose anything on us, but we can certainly do it to ourselves!

Thanks for the reminder about the Con Con. It's been a few decades since AP History...

[P95Carry]

U.N. Conference On "Small Arms" Updates--Day Eight

The "U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects," is currently underway.

Read More: http://www.nraila.org/CurrentLegisla...d.aspx?ID=2283

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Pro-Gun Rights Statements at the UN Conference On Small Arms

The Following are links to testimony provided by defenders of firearms ownership rights.
Statement by Mr. Thomas Mason, Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufactures` Institute (SAAMI)

http://www.un.org/events/smallarms20...0saami-eng.pdf


Statement to meeting by Mr. Richard Parsons, Safari Club International (SCI).

http://www.un.org/events/smallarms20...630sci-eng.pdf


Statement to meeting by Mr. Mark Barnes of FAIR Trade Group.

http://www.un.org/events/smallarms20...30fair-eng.pdf


Read More: http://www.nraila.org/?ID=7847

[Colin]

I have the same worry here in Canada. Especially since the delegation sent by us has been very anti-gun, pro UN. I'm really dissapointed so far.

Mind you Gary Mauser is a breath of fresh air in our academic circles and from Vancouver!!

I see that cow, Wendy Cuiker had to come as part of the Mexican delegation, maybe she will move there.

[AutoFan]

Don't forget that the Supreme Court keeps quoting laws in other countries as basis for their decisions on the Constitutionality of our laws. So if the UN passes this POS ruling, how do you think the Supreme Court will land with respect to it violating the 2nd Amendment? Which could easily come up if the BATFE bureaucrats decide to grab any gun with international connections?

[P95Carry]

U.N. Conference On "Small Arms" Updates--Day Nine

With the U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects wrapping up today, here is a review of the past weeks events.

Read More:

http://www.nraila.org/CurrentLegisla...d.aspx?ID=2283

[P95Carry]

Another summary article.

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UN Conference Ends
Background and updates at http://www.theinfozone.net/salw-news.html


The United Nations conference on progress in stemming the illicit trade in small arms that fuel conflict and crime ended today without adopting a common position paper – as differences between delegations on follow-up actions remained unresolved – but it succeeded in drawing world attention to the issue, its chairman said.

“This conference was a success in that it brought great international attention to the issue,” Chairman Prasad Kariyawasam of Sri Lanka said, noting the broad media coverage of the conference, which opened on June 26 to review the implementation of the 2001 Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, which remains the pivotal framework for international, regional and national activity to curtail illegal gun trafficking.

Though an agreed final declaration was not concluded, that Programme of Action firmly remained “an enabling framework that empowered states, international and regional organizations and other relevant organizations and civil society” to work to end the illicit trade in small arms. “Its validity and effectiveness remained undiminished,” he said.

As Secretary-General Kofi Annan reminded the Conference in his opening address, every year an estimated $1 billion worth of these weapons are traded illicitly worldwide, exacerbating conflicts that kill tens of thousands, sparking refugee flows, undermining the rule of law and spawning a “culture of violence and impunity.”

In the past five years since the Programme of Action was adopted, nearly 140 countries have reported on illegal gun trafficking, while a third of all States have made efforts to collect weapons from those not legally entitled to hold them, Mr. Annan said. Other progress included increased cooperation among and within regions to stem the flow of illicit weapons across national borders.

More than 2,000 representatives from governments, international and regional organizations and civil society took part in the two-week event.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...small&Cr1=arms

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Let me say - trading in illicit arms is nothing to do with the law abiding citizen - and he/she should not be in any way punished in an attempt to limit this trade.

Folks need to separate the bad from the good - and concentrate solely on the bad. Sadly the usual decision is to try and ban em' all.