June 30, 2011
Dear Mr. XXXXX,
Thank you for contacting me regarding efforts to prevent illicit small arms transfers. I appreciate hearing from you, and welcome the opportunity to respond.
In October 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced U.S. support for the concept of a small arms trade treaty, which would prevent small arms from being exported into the hands of terrorists and rogue regimes. The international treaty would be modeled after U.S. export controls for arms transfers and would call for regulations similar or the same as those already used by the United States. Please note that there is currently no treaty, and a draft will not be written before 2012 due to the timeline of the coordination process through the United Nations.
Treaties to which the United States is party require not only the President's signature, but also ratification by the Senate. Should a small arms trade treaty come before the Senate, I will keep your thoughts closely in mind. Please know that I will not support ratification of a treaty that infringes on our constitutional rights in any way, including important rights laid out in the Second Amendment. In fact, I supported an amendment to the Foreign Operations appropriations bill that would prohibit funding going to international organizations, including the United Nations, that required the registration of or placed a tax on a gun owned by a U.S. citizen.
As a former prosecutor, I understand the difficult task of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals and terrorists. However, I believe that efforts to prevent illicit small arms trafficking should not infringe upon law-abiding citizens' right to own or sell firearms, or unduly burden the hunting and sportsmanship culture of Missouri. That's why I supported legislation to allow the transport of firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains under regulations similar to those for planes, and to require National Parks to honor the gun carrying laws of the states in which the parks are found. Both measures have been enacted into law. I will continue working to protect the constitutional rights of all Missourians.
Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other issue.
Sincerely,
Claire McCaskill
United States Senator
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