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| US sees no need for new UN measures on small arms | |
| 2006-06-24 | |
| The United States said on Friday it saw no need for new international agreements at a U.N. conference opening next week to weigh a tightening of a five-year-old crackdown on illegal trafficking in small arms. "The purpose of this conference is simply to follow up on activities authorized by the 2001 conference, and we don't see any need for treaties or agreements coming out of this," said John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The June 26-July 7 conference was called to review a 2001 U.N. action plan against the $1 billion-a-year trade in small arms, which as defined by the United Nations range from pistols and rifles to grenades, mortars and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles. The 2001 plan set out broad guidelines for national and international measures to better track arms sales, manage government stockpiles and destroy illicit weapons. Anti-gun activists say they want the 2006 review conference to back a new treaty or, failing that, international guidelines governing arms transfers. Those would aim to prevent, for example, deals with criminals or terrorists, or for use in a genocide or in violation of a U.N. arms embargo. Bolton saw "no need for that," he said. Ahead of the U.N. meeting, the U.S. National Rifle Association, a strong supporter of the George W. Bush administration, has warned its members of a July 4 plot to finalize a U.N. treaty stripping citizens of all nations of the right to own guns -- a charge with no basis in fact Americans mistakenly worried about the U.S. Independence Day conspiracy have flooded the world body with more than 100,000 letters demanding the nonexistent treaty's defeat. "Illicit trafficking of light weapons is something that can exacerbate conflict situations, but the responsible use of firearms is a legitimate part of national life" in the United States, Bolton said. "We are not out to take guns away from Americans," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday. "The intention is to ensure that guns do not get into the wrong hands and are used for the civil wars that we see around the world," Annan told reporters. "We are often concerned about weapons of mass destruction, and yet most of the killing taking place today, whether in (Sudan's) Darfur or Congo or elsewhere, is done by small arms."
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| Posted by:ryuge |
| #14 "We are not out to take guns away from Americans," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said You bet your ass, you're not! There's an estimated 200 million small arms in the USA alone! Even the Soviet Union wasn't suicidal enough to seriously contemplate an invasion of the US outside the boundaries of a full-scale nuclear exchange (and I think the idea gave them the willies even then). Go ahead, Coffee - give it your best shot! Some phrase about cold dead fingers comes to mind (though I'm betting the cold dead fingers would be yours and anyone who backed ya')... |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2006-06-24 18:44 |
| #13 Yamamoto and the Red Army are fools, invading the US is child's play. |
| Posted by: Vincinte Fox 2006-06-24 18:18 |
| #12 Reminiscent of Yamamoto “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass” – Japanese Admiral Yamamoto, 1941 |
| Posted by: mjh 2006-06-24 17:23 |
| #11 ...An acquaintance of mine works for a fairly well known strategic think tank, and some years back he had the opportunity to meet one of his opposite numbers from what had been the Soviet Union. Eventually they got around to the subject of a possible Soviet invasion of the US a la Red Dawn . The Russian's response was horrified. "Are you mad." he asked. "We worked on the assumption that almost every adult male - and most of the juvenile ones - had access to a firearm and wouldn't have been afraid to use it. A physical invasion of the US, no matter how militarily weak, would have been suicidal." If we had the Red Army that rattled, imagine what the Tranzi/UN crowd thinks of us. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2006-06-24 16:56 |
| #10 what are they gonna oulaw next, small feet? Jeesh |
| Posted by: Emily Littella 2006-06-24 14:54 |
| #9 I think there IS a need for a "new UN measure on small arms." The declaration that everyone in the world is entitled to possess them and use them for self-defense. Whatcha think about that, Coffee? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-06-24 14:24 |
| #8 See what the tranzi left are up to regarding the brass ring of disarming the American public. |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2006-06-24 14:23 |
| #7 The UN is nothing if not tactless. Remember that map produced by a UN bureaucrat that proposed moving the entire population of the US to its coasts, and converting the majority of the continent to empty preserve? |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-06-24 14:08 |
| #6 "We are not out to take guns away from Americans," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday. Ha! That is one of the most arrogant statements I've heard from Tranzi HQ, it's almost like they think they could. Let me see you try. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2006-06-24 11:32 |
| #5 UN measures. LOL. LOLOLOLOL. ROFL. tu3031's idea is a winner, IMO. Main page somewhere in the right column? |
| Posted by: Snans Glosing2433 2006-06-24 10:57 |
| #4 Can we get a Kofi Annan countdown clock running someplace? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-06-24 10:47 |
| #3 talk to the ChiComs about how their weapons and ammo got into Darfur? No? Fine...get back to us after you've sanctioned them |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-24 09:41 |
| #2 "We are not out to take guns away from Americans," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday. No you're not. The last Dude to try that got a clear and unquestionable message at the bridge at Concord Massachusetts. The first Bridge too far. The end result was he and his followers ended up out of America. Since "We the people" have had enough political double talk for generations, your little 'redefining' isn't going to work either. Hope you enjoy Geneva boys. |
| Posted by: Crath Choger3081 2006-06-24 08:48 |
| #1 Eliminate thugs, not guns |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-06-24 07:38 |