U.S. opposes worldwide controls on small arms

By Ronni Berke
CNN United Nations Bureau
July 10, 2001 Posted: 5:27 AM EDT (0927 GMT)

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Despite criticism by gun-control advocates and other U.N. members, the United States Monday told delegates at a major international arms conference that it opposes any attempt to impose broad worldwide controls on the sale of legal firearms.

"We do not support measures that would constrain legal trade and legal manufacturing of small arms and light weapons," said John Bolton, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs.

"The vast majority of arms transfers in the world are routine and not problematic. Each member state of the United Nations has the right to manufacture and export arms for purposes of national defense," he said.

The Small Arms Working Group, an alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations, accused Bolton of lobbying for the National Rifle Association.

"What we actually heard was the National Rifle Association speaking from the podium," said Michael Beard, president of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

The United Nations estimates there are at least 500 million small arms and light weapons in circulation -- one for every 12 people on Earth.

Most are in the hands of police forces, national armies and lawful private gun owners, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette told the conference. But that does not diminish the problem, he said.

"Even in societies not torn by conflict, the proliferation of small arms has contributed to a culture of violence and crime," Frechette said.

Small arms have been the weapon of choice in 46 of 49 major conflicts since 1990, contributing to some 4 million deaths, with women and children accounting for 80 percent of those, Frechette added.

Hundreds of diplomats, gun-control and gun-rights activists and representatives of other nongovernmental organizations are attending the two-week conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

The meeting is scheduled to end July 20 with the adoption of a plan of action for fighting illicit arms trafficking.

Although not legally binding, the plan is expected to call on U.N. members to develop national systems to regulate arms brokers and exports and to ensure manufacturers mark small weapons so their movements can be traced.

Colombian Defense Minister Gustavo Bell Lemus, whose country's civil war is fueled by small arms, said Monday small arms kill more people than any other weapons.

"Practically every year, there are more casualties than those produced by Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We can describe these small arms and weapons as arms of mass destruction," Lemus said.

Rep. Bob Barr, R-Georgia, a member of the National Rifle Association, warned delegates at the conference not to try to "dictate domestic policy" in the United States.

"If in fact the U.N. through this effort ... moves in that direction, then I think it will make it more difficult perhaps for the U.N. to achieve the level of support that it would like to in Congress to further its legitimate goals," Barr said at a press conference.