While critics continue to fight against a treaty they refer to as a U.N. gun ban, supporters are hailing the U.N. arms treaty as a landmark step to protect human rights and promote global peace by restricting international weapons trade.
“This is about keeping weapons out of the hands of terrorists and rogue actors,” Secretary of State John Kerry said during a September 2013 ceremony when the United States signed the treaty.
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The United Nations approved the Arms Trade Treaty in April 2013, with 130 nations signing on in support of regulating the export of everything from small firearms to attack helicopters.
The U.N. gun ban took force on Christmas Eve that year, with 61 nations ratifying the treaty. The U.S. isn’t among them, however, as the Republican-controlled Senate refused due to concern for how it might impact gun rights at home.
“Make no mistake,” Kerry insisted, “we would never think about supporting a treaty that is inconsistent with the rights of Americans, the rights of American citizens, to be able to exercise their guaranteed rights under our Constitution.”
The Vatican, retired military leaders, the American Bar Association, and Hollywood celebrities are among those who’ve spoken out in support of the arms treaty, urging the U.S. and other nations to approve it.
Along with Oxfam International, Amnesty International was among the nonprofit organizations that campaigned for the treaty for decades, believing it will save lives around the world.
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“People around the world have suffered enough because of the reckless arms trade,” Salil Shetty, Amnesty’s secretary general, said in December 2014.
Amnesty pointed out that the U.S. is by far the world’s largest arms exporter, even though it refuses to ratify the treaty or be bound by its regulations. The organization said it intends to keep lobbying for U.S. to get on board in 2015.
British diplomat
Chris Wright pointed out in a Huffington Post editorial that the ban has the potential to protect soldiers and diplomats abroad by keeping weapons away from militias.
A ban may also help stop the flow of weapons into unstable or ungoverned areas, he said, noting that violence undermines development.
It could also bolster defense industries by leveling the playing field, Wright said. Countries such as the United States and United Kingdom already adhere to rigorous export standards ignored by other nations.
“Ultimately,” Wright said, “an effective Arms Trade Treaty will benefit the countless victims of terrorists and repressive regimes, not to mention U.S. and U.K. troops, diplomats and contractors working in dangerous places. The only people who will not reap any rewards are those we wish weren't armed and those who supply them.”
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