U.S. rejects limits on personal guns

There is a UN small-arms conference in session. Due to a heads-up from the NRA there has been a huge response to the possibility that there would be international treaty restrictions sought on private firearms ownership.

Remarkably, and rarely enough, Kofi(cup) Annan and the conference chair have both publicly denied that the UN had any such plan. Their explanation is that their objective is to try to control the international trade in ILLEGAL arms, and that they had no interest in what nations do to regulate internal legal arms.

The US has also responded with disclaimers of its own:

The United States will oppose any international effort to limit access of U.S. civilians to legal firearms but supports stronger controls on arms imports and exports, a senior State Department official said yesterday. “The United States believes it is important for all of us to speak with one voice concerning the grave matter of the international illicit trade in small arms and light weapons,” said Robert Joseph, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

The Chief sees this as nothing but encouraging, with the caveat that you can believe as much as you want to of what ANYONE at the UN says. I wouldn’t bet my life on their goodwill on this issue, or on anything else that they have to say, for that matter.