PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS BY US CONGRESSMAN

The involvement of the United Nations in the domestic firearms policies of other nations, including the United States, would not be viewed with favour by the United States Congress, Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

Congressman Barr said if the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons moved in that direction, the Conference would forsake its ability to conduct some very legitimate work regarding getting a handle on illicit international trafficking in firearms.  That was not something the United States would like to see.

Mr. Barr is attending the Conference as an official observer with the United States delegation.  He said the subject matter of the Conference was of interest to those concerned about its potential impact on United States laws and the United States Constitution.  A number of other members of the United States Congress were also paying very close attention, even though most American citizens were not aware of the Conference.

“We are concerned that the focus of the Conference should remain on the international role of illicit arms -- and not an attempt to involve itself in domestic firearms policies in the United States or indeed, in any other nation.”

Asked why his position was not aligned with that of the European Union, he said it was aligned with his constituents in Georgia, and with Americans who were concerned that there should not be an effort or “the reality of an international association diminishing the constitutional rights of Americans”.  He was more concerned about national matters involving the United States Constitution, he added.

Mr. Barr said if an effort was made to encourage other nations to adopt stricter export and import controls, then “I think we would have, perhaps, accomplished something very significant”.

What action would he take back to the United States Congress, he was asked. He said it depended on what came out of the Conference.  If the Conference moved in a direction contrary to the sound position of the United States, “I think this will raise fears in the antennae of Members of Congress who are concerned with some moves by international bodies to dictate domestic policies in the United States.”

That was one reason, he added, that there was continuing, serious debate in the United States Congress over the proposed International Criminal Court.  He thought it would be very difficult for the United Nations to achieve a level of support in the United States Congress if it moved in that direction.

He told a questioner that the United States did manufacture many legal weapons, but it would be unfair to blame it for the illegal stockpiling of its weapons and also for their illegal use.

US Congressman Conference                 - 2 -             10 July 2001

He told another questioner that there were several provisions in the draft final document of the Conference, dated March 2001, which could very well be used directly to involve the United Nations in domestic firearms policies.  That was a concern he shared with a lot of other Americans, including some other members of the Congress.  The text did not match the assurances that had been given globally.

He told a correspondent that he served on the board of the National Rifle Association of the United States (NRA).  His presence at the Conference was, however, as a member of the United States Congress with a concern over the relationship between international organizations, treaties, documents and United States domestic laws and Constitution.  The national membership of the NRA was over four million.

He said the statement by the head of the United States delegation, John Bolton, Under-Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, was a sound, well-founded statement in terms of United States laws and Constitution.  He believed it provided a very good starting point for the negotiations involving the United States.  If other nations were truly interested in seeing the United Nations perform valuable work in the area of illicit firearms stockpiling and trafficking internationally, “they should pay very close attention to Mr. Bolton’s words”, because he had identified those areas where there was room for States to work together.

But if “we go off on these tangents as some of these other nations would like us to do, probably nothing good will happen, nothing productive would come out of the conference”.

He told a questioner that he did not see anything positive to be gained by furthering the efforts of some member nations to involve the United Nations in domestic United States policy.  But, he said, he would see some benefit in the identification of those areas where all could agree, such as broadening and tightening up on export controls; identifying illegal international trafficking and stockpiling of arms; and pooling of efforts to identify the perpetrators.

“I think those are very legitimate areas for an international body to involve itself”, he said.  “It will be counter-productive for the United Nations in a number of other areas to become involved in domestic United States policies”.

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