United Nations Arms Treaty (Term Paper Sample)

United Nations Arms Trade Treaty
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United Nations Arms Trade Treaty
In 2006, UN Assembly acknowledged that absence of common international standards on the import, export, and transfer of conventional arms was a contributory factor to the conflict, the displacement of people, crime, and terrorism globally. This undermined peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability, and sustainable development in virtually every country with devastating results in war-torn countries (United Nations General Assembly, 2013). More than 50 countries were to sign the treaty for it to come into force. A number of countries have not signed the treaty citing use of general language to draft the treaty, signaling lack of commitment by UN to prosecute countries that violate terms of the treaty (Weisser, 2013).
Bauer, Beijer and Brombley (2014) say that after signing the treaty, some of the issues that arose include majority of the Senate started opposing ratification of the treaty, claiming that the law did not define gun ownership, and it required registration of all gun users as a way of tracking criminals. A few people interpreted the treaty to mean that governments may start an exercise of disarming all citizens without considering the reason they hold guns. Citizens felt that individual governments, and not the United Nations, should figure out how guns should be used, and if possible the government should be the one to regulate use of the guns, as well as movement of arms in and out of its country.
The treaty is valid since it only requires each country to follow its laws and regulations to keep a database of arms individuals and companies export or import by recording the quantity of shipment, origin, destination, transshipment treaties, and the intended end users. Therefore, the treaty seeks to control arms trade, and by that, end illicit arms trade. It seeks to control manufacture and supply of firearms and related parts, and regulate the kind of firearms every store stocks and sells. Once the treaty comes into force, firearms manufacturers will keep a registry of the number of guns they produce and whom they sell to. This shows that all their transactions will go through a United Nations agency and this would result in reduced sales for firearms manufacturers and those companies producing peripheral parts and ammunitions, owing to the delays that shall result from getting shipping and clearance approvals. That is why Klukowski (2013) says that once ratified, the treaty will make it more difficult to import guns, ammunition, and related parts to America.
The second amendment gives US citizens the right to keep and bear arms to protect their rights and keep foreign threats away, and prevent a standing army that may overthrow their government Klukowski (2013). This law came into force because of the support of federalists who preferred to see a strong government, and antifederalists who wanted to see citizens with a voice to keep their government in check. Therefore, this treaty will make it hard for American citizens to acquire and keep guns, but once each person follows the right channel of acquiring a gun, every law abiding citizen who wants to buy and keep one will get it. The law does not prevent people from acquiring guns but it wants them to follow due process of registering their guns as a way of tracking guns that shall end up in the wrong hands (Ficaretta & Reeves, 2014). Therefore, the treaty does not infringe on their rights of U.S. citizens of acquiring and keeping ...