NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT
Vol. 17, No. 23      06/11/10
The Biennial Meeting Of States, And The Arms Trade Treaty


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Two major meetings, possibly affecting American gun owners' rights, will occur at the United Nations (UN) in New York over the next several weeks.   They are the Fourth Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms in all its Aspects, ("BMS4") June 14-18, and the Arms Trade Treaty Preparatory Committee ("ATT Prep. Com.") July 12-23.  The NRA will be fully and actively involved in these meetings.
The BMS4 is a continuation of the so-called "Programme of Action" (POA) adopted by the UN at a conference in 2001.  Anti-gun groups saw the original POA as a vehicle for UN gun bans, registration schemes and other radical proposals.  The U.S., through the efforts of Ambassador John Bolton, forced the removal of provisions targeting privately-owned firearms from the  POA.  It was not able to stop the POA itself, and the UN holds "Biennial" meetings every two years to keep the POA alive.  Heavily-funded anti-gun groups will again attempt to get the UN and its member states to target the right to arms at the BMS4.  A Mexican diplomat will chair the meeting and Mexico, which blames its crime problems on the U.S., is now pushing for more gun control in America.  Anti-gun, anti-U.S. measures could well be on the table