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| As we rush headlong into the 21st
Century, there is a shadowy move afoot in the United Nations to
further control and eventually ban the international trade in
civilian firearms. These U.N. actions are not something new. They
have been in the works since the earliest days of the Clinton
Administration. Except for a few articles in the firearms-related
media, the whole process has been pretty much "below the
radar" to the vast majority of firearms enthusiasts in the
United States. The mainstream media, either by intent or omission,
has reported little on the progress of the global gun control
movement.
Unfortunately, progress it has. Funded by Japan, Canada and Australia, the United Nations International Study on Firearms Regulations has held a series of forums around the world to address how to go about implementing a worldwide program of strict gun control. The intent of these workshops was to aid attending member nations in developing a set of principles on domestic gun controls. Member nations were encouraged to adopt regulations such as penalties for unsafe gun storage, gun misuse or illegal possession; gun amnesties and/or gun buybacks; licensing of gun owners and distributors; marking and registration of individual firearms and information-sharing between member states. To anyone who hasn't been living in a cave over the past couple of years, it is plain to see that the Clinton Administration has been following in lockstep with the U.N. guidelines on gun control. These guidelines were developed and supported by vehement anti-gun organizations from New Zealand, Britain and South Africa. The British-American Security Information Council (BASIC) sent a representative to several workshops, the Gun Control Network (UK), Gun Free South Africa and the Coalition for Gun Control (Canada) appeared at the European, African and American workshops. Still, the news gets even worse. After a workshop in New Delhi, India, unofficial reports indicated the attendees agreed on the following principles:
Among the proposals on the table now is a worldwide requirement for all nations to destroy ANY surplus military firearms, no matter the type or year of manufacture and a ban on the civilian ownership of ANY military-style weapon, including bolt actions, lever actions and even single shots! Please keep in mind; these restrictions are being considered for all U.N. members, including the United States. If adopted, these restrictions would, in effect, kill the legal trade in collectable military firearms! Fortunately, there are groups standing up to the anti-gun onslaught in the United Nations, even if our own government is not. The National Rifle Association has been granted "Non-Governmental Organization" (NGO) status by the U.N. and has been able to directly influence the entire process. The World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities (WFSA) is another NGO that has been able to interact directly with the committees making the decisions on the global regulation of firearms. Despite the best efforts of the NRA, the WFSA and the many other organizations involved in this battle, we face an uncertain future without the help of our own government. There is a very good chance that the United Nations will adopt some major restrictions on the trade in all types of firearms, including sporting and collectable firearms, in 2001, unless the U.S. government takes a stand against the agenda. The only way we can ensure that will happen is to vote in November. Sources: U.N. Press release - Third Meeting of Focal Points of Coordinating Action on Small Arms (CASA) Mechanism Concludes at Headquarters, DC/2631, March 4, 1999.
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