(MintPress) – Representatives from 150 countries gathered at the United Nations (U.N.) in New York Monday for the final round of discussions regarding the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) — a proposed international pact that would tighten regulations on the $70 billion trade for all conventional weapons and cut down on the burgeoning illicit arms trade.
Standing in the way of common-sense reforms that could prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands killed by illegal firearms across the globe each year is the American conservative pro-gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA), which spent more than $2.9 million in the 2012 elections to support lax gun regulations in Congress.
The illegal gun trade: a global problem
Before the opening of the final round of negotiations, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed support for the pact, saying, “It is our collective responsibility to put an end to the inadequate regulation of the global trade in conventional weapons — from small arms to tanks to combat aircraft.”
The first round of negotiations opened July 2012 with the majority of countries in the international community expressing support for a comprehensive arms trade treaty.
The issue is a pressing global problem given the hundreds of thousands of deaths each year inside and outside combat zones. According to the Small Arms Survey, 60 to 90 percent of the 100,000-plus conflict deaths each year, come as a result of small arms or other weapons.
The flow of illegal arms has escalated civil wars, terrorism and armed conflicts the world over. “Syria, Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sri Lanka are just a few recent examples where the world bore witness to the horrific human cost of a reckless global arms trade steeped in secrecy,” said Salil Shetty, secretary general of Amnesty International.
Put in the wrong hands, even a few inexpensive assault rifles can inflict serious damage. The November 1997 terrorist attack in Luxor, Egypt, was carried out by just six terrorists armed only with assault rifles, pistols and knives. The attack led to the deaths of 58 tourists before police were finally able to subdue the violence.
Ban Ki-Moon echoed the sentiment of Amnesty International, saying that a comprehensive pact would “alleviate the plight of the millions of people affected by conflicts and armed violence and enable the United Nations to better carry out its mandate to promote peace, development and human rights around the world.”
Although Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed U.S. support for the treaty last week, the NRA has continued to lead a vocal minority in opposition to the treaty. “What we really object to is the inclusion of civilian firearms within the scope of the [ATT],” said Tom Mason, NRA lawyer and executive secretary for the World Forum on Shooting Activities.
“This is a treaty that really needs to address the transfer of large numbers of military weapons that leads to human rights abuses. We have submitted language that you can define what a civilian firearm is.”
Human rights groups believe that NRA lobbying is designed to stir anti-U.N. hysteria and block a set of gun control measures supported by a clear majority of countries in the international community.
“We monitor what they [NRA] send out to membership and put online,” said Michelle Ringuette, chief of campaigns and programs at Amnesty International USA. “It’s nothing like the efforts they put in back in June and July but we have seen them step up. They have done exactly what we expected them to do, to stir up anti-U.N. panic.”
The NRA blocks common-sense reforms
If the arms treaty fails, the NRA would build upon a successful history of lobbying for the rights of the most conservative gun owners, even in cases where public opinion in overwhelmingly in favor of common sense gun control reforms.
According to a Quinnipiac poll released last month, 92 percent of voters in the United States support universal background checks on all gun buyers. The same poll found that 91 percent of all gun-owning households support universal background checks that would prevent felons and individuals with a history of mental illness from obtaining a firearm.
Despite the overwhelming public support for federal legislation promoting universal background checks, NRA President Wayne LaPierre has lobbied Congress to maintain the status quo in a country beset by gun violence long before the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre shocked the nation in December 2012.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there were 11,078 homicides using a firearm in 2010, many involving an illegal firearm.
The NRA could use its substantial lobbying power to influence the outcome of the U.N. arms treaty. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group, the NRA made more than $2.9 million in direct campaign contributions during the 2012 elections. This is in addition to the $25 million in individual donations made by NRA members.
President Obama has expressed support for a strong arms treaty, but could cave to the pressures of the pro-gun lobby in the final round of negotiations. If the United States uses its veto as a member of the Permanent Security Council, an arms trade treaty can still be put to a vote before the U.N. General Assembly, where it would likely pass.