What the Constitution giveth...the UN taketh away
By Bill Hengst
web
posted July 16, 2001
The United Nations in their infinite arrogance, and self-assured pomposity have once again found a way to attempt to determine American domestic policy. During a two week conference to control illicit traffic in small arms and weapons, with representatives from 189 nations in attendance, the UN will attempt to convince the world at large to restrict not only the trade but the availability of small arms and weapons.
Let's define that so we know exactly what we're talking about. There is no legally accepted definition of small arms or light weapons, though the UN tried in 1997 to describe them collectively as "any weapon that can be fired, maintained and transported by one person." This definition is rather vague. While including light military arms such as certain missile launchers, grenade launchers, mortars, machine guns, and assault rifles, it also includes pistols and hunting rifles which are legal in the United States.
 Visitors to the United Nations look at a five-ton gun sculpture called "The Art of Peacemaking" by Canadian artists Sandra Bromley and Wallis Kendal entitled "Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All It's Aspects." The sculpture was made of more than 7 000 deactivated weapons and was created in hopes of promoting peace and ending world violence |
As this proposal stands right now, it goes against America's support of free trade, and it's right to determine it's own domestic policy, specifically the constitutional right to bear arms.
This is the real issue. No matter where you stand on the issue of gun control. By what authority, by what right does the UN enact a global policy, a global treaty which would infringe upon our "God given" constitutional rights as American citizens to bear arms? Even the most ardent supporters of gun control legislation must see that this is intrinsically wrong. Such an agreement would be not only illegitimate, but a threat to our national sovereignty.
This is not partisan politics as usual, nor is it merely hawks versus doves. This is a threat to our nations ability to determine it's own course of actions. And not on a global scale, rather it interferes with our rights as citizens to institute and exercise rights which are guaranteed us by the supreme law of the land, "The Constitution of the United States of America", here on American soil. What's next...Will the UN decide that the First amendment causes too much turmoil? That the right to free speech causes internal and external chaos in the nations of the world? Maybe the UN will decide that the entire constitution should be done away with, that a global constitution should be drafted in order to maintain a more peaceful alliance.Those in favor of gun control, here I appeal to you...Once we abrogate the authority, the ability to determine domestic policy, aren't we in essence forfeiting the right to self govern?
The United States already has the world's toughest laws aimed at preventing legally manufactured guns from drifting into the illicit arms market. This is obviously another attempt by the United Nations to impose it's will on the United States. At best this agreement contains a number of areas that are very explicitly set forth that could very well be used to directly involve the United Nations in domestic firearms policy. At worst this is a conspiracy theorists worst nightmare, in true Orwellian proportions...It is an all out attempt to disarm the citizens of the United States.
Either way I have one thing to say to the United Nations: You can have
my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands! 
Bill 'Tiki' Hengst is the webmaster of Tiki Trash.
Enter Stage Right anti-gun
control t-shirts, sweat shirts, mugs, etc.
Other related articles: (open in a new window)
- The
UN seeks global gun control by Tom DeWeese (June 4, 2001)
Tom DeWeese rails against the latest effort to grab your firearms. This time the effort is on a global scale