the UN vote to ban inter-continental sales of guns?
Of note, this is
not what the treaty says.
The treaty is exclusively looking at
a framework for UN member states to be able to identify and punish illegal international arms sales. It very explicitly has nothing to do with legitimate, legal international import/export/sale/trade of small arms and ammunition, and absolutely has zero to do with arms ownership and use in the United States.
There is so much misinformation on this issue...it's staggering.
If people want to be responsible American firearms owners, before posting anything about the UN Small Arms treaty, PLEASE take the time to go read up on OFFICIAL news sources (not blogs, not firearms enthusiast sites, not NRA-ILA -- try the actual UN site, which explains all aspects of this treaty in very clear words).
Educate yourself about what it is REALLY about, and what the status of it is.
It is all of our responsibilities to be watchdogs for our leadership and hold them accountable of the decision they make on our behalf. It doesn't do any of us any good to "go off half cocked" on our elected representatives when it is us who doesn't actually have a clear picture of the issues or decisions to be made.
Unfortunately, based on the posts I've seen in the firearms-o-sphere over the last 6 months on this topic, there are a LOT of people who don't know what they're talking about...and that hurts all of us.
Here's an example of a 'news' story I just pulled up off Google News:
Retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who has been at the forefront of citizen opposition to the treaty, stated,
There has been a decree by the administration by the president and the secretary of state saying that our president will sign the United Nations small arms treaty, which is about how we will buy sell and control individual private weapons,” Boykin warned. “That means the United Nations, an international body will decide how you and I as Americans can buy and sell our weapons, how we control those weapons, who is authorized to have those weapons and where they are. This is a dangerous trend.
This quote from a retired 3-star General sure gives off an air of authority, and makes a pretty horrific statement about this treaty. Unfortunately, it's also phenomenally misleading....unless "you and I as Americans" are involved in international arms smuggling.
If we, indeed, are
international arms smugglers, then he's right -- the treaty would decide how we "buy and sell our weapons, how we control those weapons, who is authorized to have those weapons and where they are."
Unfortunately, if we're just private American citizens, then this treaty has absolutely zero to do with us, and the fine General's words have no applicability.
