Global gun control conference hampered (surprise, surprise) by U.S.

[marmar]

Published on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 by OneWorld.net
Global Gun Control Conference Harpooned by U.S. Opposition
by Haider Rizvi

UNITED NATIONS - Following the collapse of diplomatic talks at a recent world conference on small arms, many governments and international civil society groups who want to see a global crackdown on the multibillion-dollar illegal business in guns are now looking to the United Nations General Assembly for help.
Last Friday, negotiations at the two-week conference broke down at the last minute as the United States and a handful of other nations refused to endorse a document that proposed a wide range of international measures against the illegal trade in guns and other small weapons of various descriptions.


It is unacceptable for two weeks of talking to produce no outcome, particularly when 1,000 people are still dying at gun point every day.

Rebecca Peters, International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)
Though much less promising than what they had actually hoped for, proponents of the gun control efforts say the final draft of the Conference's outcome document was fully acceptable to a vast majority of governments, including the European Union and those from Latin America and Africa.

The review conference was held to assess progress made by the world community on implementation of the UN Program of Action, which was adopted by all member states, some five years ago. At a meeting held in 2001, they made commitments to collect and destroy illegal weapons, curb their trafficking, regulate the activities of brokers, and impose trade controls.

Since its adoption, the program has stimulated a wide range of initiatives at the national, regional, and international level, with more than 50 countries having strengthened their laws to control the illegal business in guns, according to UN officials, who, nevertheless, believe that still a lot more needs to be done.

"The problem remains grave," said Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, at the beginning of the conference. "Small arms are easy to buy, easy to use, easy to transport, and easy to conceal."

"Their continued proliferation exacerbates conflict, sparks refugee flows, undermines the rule of law and spawns cultures of violence," he added in a statement.

The rest is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0712-09.htm

[rinsd]

1. Also by Cuba! And Israel! Ands it about guns!

There's something for everyone at DU to be pissed about!

:popcorn:

[Solo_in_MD]

2. Its really a shame that IANSA and others are given serious consideration

by anyone. I've never understood the willingness of people to stand by and cheer while their basic freedoms are being abridged.

[Totallybushed]

3. of course there was an outcome.

Nothing bad happened to our right to bear arms.

One day we will need them for the revolution.

[benEzra]

4. You know, that might not have happened if IANSA

hadn't tried so hard to get the conference to make a statement condemning the lawful civilian ownership of nonhunting guns, at least as far as the U.S. position went. It's a given that if IANSA wants the agenda to be making Australian-style gun bans the norm worldwide, then U.S. gun owners are going to pull the rug out from under it.