Response: UN Arms Treaty

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:51 am

The Senator explains that a 2/3rds vote against the small arms treaty by the UN will be sent to the president for his signature....What they are not telling us is, all the president has to do is use his Executive Powers to once again nullify the other branches of government.

Dear Mr. Charles,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the proposed United Nations (U.N.) Smalls Arms Treaty. Your communication is a vital part of our legislative process, and I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this issue.

The U.N. General Assembly began to seek ways to regulate the international arms trade in December 2006, when it adopted resolution 61/89, "Towards an Arms Trade Treaty: establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms". As you know, the U.N. recently began work on a "Small Arms Treaty". However, this process and negotiation has been indefinitely suspended as countries, which are member to the negotiation and drafting of the treaty, have asked for more time to deliberate. Until these negotiations are resumed and completed, the details of this treaty will be largely unknown, but it is widely believed that this treaty will take aim at regulating the international arms trade. The United States is party to these negotiations, along with 14 other nations.

Any treaty must be voted on by the United States Senate and requires a two-thirds majority to pass before it can be ratified and presented to the President. As of July, 2012, over 50 Senators have publically expressed opposition to this treaty. I will continue to monitor this situation should it make its way through the drafting and approval process. I will certainly keep your letter and views in mind when considering related legislation.

I want to thank you again for contacting me about this important issue. Please feel free to visit my website or contact me again should other issues of concern to you come before the Congress. To stay better connected to current legislation and join our online community, please sign up for my e-newsletter.

It is an honor to serve you in the 112th Congress.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Dold
Member of Congress

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Corporal Joined: Mar 16, 2010 Posts: 523

So much for honesty and transparency.......