-Caveat Lector-
United Nations Attack On Gun Ownership
May 30, 2001by: Phyllis Schlafly
The attempt this year to reprise last year's Million Mom
March was a dud, attracting only about 200
demonstrators, and the Democrats' political gurus are
whining about how Al Gore's pro-gun-control stance cost
him votes last year in crucial states. So the anti-gun
activists have moved to a less democratic venue: the
United Nations.
On July 9 to 20, New York City will host the United Nations
Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light
Weapons in All Its Aspects. The purpose of this
conference is to demonize the private ownership of guns
and get governments to confiscate all privately owned
guns.
Don't be misled by the term small arms. UN documents
define small arms as weapons designed for personal
use (such as your Browning pistol, your Ruger rifle, or
your Winchester shotgun), while light weapons are for use
by several persons as a crew.
Don't be misled by the term illicit trade. UN documents
make it clear that, since most illegal guns start out as legal
purchases, illicit trade must be stopped by clamping down
on legal gun owners.
Don't think that this UN conference is just a talkfest. It is
scheduled to produce a legally binding treaty to require
governments to mark, number, register, record, license,
confiscate, and destroy all guns except those in the hands
of the military and the police.
Indeed, the first day of the conference is to be called
Small Arms Destruction Day. The conference's
Preparatory Committee (Prep Com) is calling on all
governments, with the assistance of the UN's NGOs
(Non-Government Organizations) and civil society (a
fancy name for the NGOs working in tandem), to organize
public events to promote the destruction of small arms and
light weapons on that day.
The decision on NGO participation, adopted by the Prep
Com without a vote, is in line with the growing UN practice
of expanding the influence of relevant NGOs while
bypassing sovereign member states. Relevant means
only those NGOs that promote the UN agenda.
The 18-page Draft Programme of Action to be
presented to the July conference sets forth the rationale
plus the mechanisms for eliminating the wide availability
of guns. It's obvious that the United States is the target
because we are the only country with a Second
Amendment, and other democracies such as England,
Canada and Australia have either banned or severely
restricted private gun ownership.
The Draft Programme wraps its gun-confiscation
message in typical UN semantics, but makes little attempt
to conceal the mailed fist in the velvet glove. It states: In
order to promote peace, security, stability and sustainable
development in the world, we commit ourselves to
addressing this problem in a comprehensive, integrated,
sustainable, efficient and urgent manner.
Indeed, the plan is comprehensive and integrated.
According to the Draft Programme, Preventing and
reducing the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons
consists of two sets of measures: the national control of
manufacture and the proper marking of small arms and
light weapons, coupled with accurate, sustained
recordkeeping and exchanges of information.
Government marking and recordkeeping is an integral
part of the process. It's clear that the UN is demanding
that governments build a national electronic database of
all guns and their owners, and then facilitate an
information exchange (i.e., share the database with the
UN).
Through the Department for Disarmament Affairs, the UN
promises to develop an international mechanism that will
facilitate the exchange of information on all aspects of
guns, i.e., a global gun registry.
To wipe out private gun ownership, the UN demands that
all governments enforce adequate laws, regulations and
administrative procedures to exercise effective control
over the legal manufacture and possession of small arms
and light weapons. And the UN demands that
governments criminally prosecute all those who don't
comply.
The UN plans to develop model national legislation so
that Congress will pass laws that conform to the treaty's
requirements. The UN plans to guide Congress by
publishing best practices for legislation and procedures.
All unmarked or inadequately marked small arms and light
weapons are to be confiscated and expeditiously
destroyed. The government is to assure that no
retransfer of small arms and light weapons takes place
without prior authorization by the government because
the UN disapproves of the possession of guns by civilians
who are not part of responsible military and police
forces.
The UN also has a plan to propagandize Americans to
accept this global ban on private gun ownership. The Draft
Programme calls for seminars, conferences,
consultations and workshops conducted by the United
Nations for the purpose of promoting the
