Firearms Industry Concerned Over United Nations
Request for Firearms Trace Data
Article archived from Gun Reports.com
Firearms Industry Concerned Over United Nations Request for Firearms Trace Data
March 30, 2010
(GunReports.com)—The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, has learned that the United Nations has filed its first firearms trace request. The move by the United Nations, which has long advocated for civilian disarmament, raised concerns from the NSSF.
"Firearms trace data is a law enforcement tool to help aid in specific criminal investigations," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "Our concerns with this trace request stem from UN-efforts to impose arms trade control treaties that would lead to a ban on the civilian possession and ownership of firearms, possibly even in the United States despite Second Amendment protections and the recent Supreme Court decision (Heller v. District of Columbia) reaffirming that Americans have an individual right to keep and bear arms."
Tracing a firearm is the process by which law enforcement tracks the chain of custody of a firearm through the licensed distribution system to the original (first) retail purchaser. In this particular case, the manufacturer declined to provide the information to the United Nations and instead advised UN officials to make its request through proper international law enforcement channels. This would ensure that ATF, the appropriate law enforcement entity responsible for handling such requests, would be aware of the world body’s actions.
"Some foreign states and well-funded non-governmental organizations, like the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), are using arms trade-control talks at the United Nations to restrict or ban the private ownership of firearms," continued Keane.
Though this trace request appears to have been an isolated incident, members of the firearms industry are troubled by the precedent.
"We remain increasingly concerned that ongoing efforts to restrict or ban the civilian and private ownership of firearms taking place at the United Nations will severely restrict and frustrate the lawful international commerce in sporting firearms and ammunition products and undermine the United States’ national sovereignty and America’s cherished firearms freedoms protected by the Second Amendment and our hunting and shooting sports heritage," concluded Keane.
Reader Comments (as at time of archiving)
The response of the US delegation to this request SHOULD BE (but won’t): "US to UN: Kindly osculate our collective posteriors."
Comment by: Visigoth52 | April 1, 2010
The trace data should be for use here in the US not by the UN or other countries. The UN is a forum for world governments to settle differances not run other countries. UN, move to Europe.
Comment by: William D | April 1, 2010
If international law enforcement wants information, that’s one thing. "The Coordinator of the Group of Experts" sounds like a communist party or crime organization title out of a James Bond movie. It’s nice to see H&K have a backbone!!! If I had the money, I’d go buy one of everything they make to show my support.
I used to think it was a good idea to "help" third world countries realize the error in their ways and get their feet on the ground. Having been a part of one of those "missions" to help feed the masses and restore order, I no longer feel that way. The great USA was arguably a third world "hot spot" at one point, and yes, we got help; but not until well after we demonstrated we were willing to solve our problems on our own.
Bravo Zulu H&K!
Comment by: P V B | April 1, 2010
My oath was to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies domestic and foreign. I owe the UN zip, nada, nothing, squat. As far as I’m concerned I will never obey any UN directive nor comply with any effort they may make to do anything contrary to the US Constitution, and that includes especially the 2nd Amendment. I’ll bury my guns in the woods and let them jail me before I give them up. Of course, there will be someone younger than me who will know where those are so that they can be used in the subsequent revolution.
And I won’t help them with law enforcement anyway. They only want to know who originally bought the gun so they can harass that person, try to trace that one gun, and then punish SOMEBODY because if they need to tract the gun then the know which gun was used but not by whom. So if you’re the last one they can find in the chain - you’re going down. And just BTW, you can be sure they will be getting into ALL your gun business if they ever get your name - hell, even BATFE does that, and you can’t expect the UN to be any better.
Comment by: david b | April 1, 2010
David - well said!
Comment by: P V B | April 1, 2010