During the past week, the House and Senate released bipartisan letters informing President Obama the “U.S. will not be bound by [the] U.N. Arms Trade Treaty” (ATT).
The treaty was signed by Secretary of State John Kerry on September 25.
The letter from the House was announced in a press release from Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) on October 15.
Backed by 180 members of the House, the letter says:
Today the Peoples’ House takes a stand for national sovereignty where the White House failed to do so. The ATT is a clear threat to the Constitutional rights to all Americans and should have never been signed. This letter makes absolutely clear to President Obama and his Cabinet that the United States Congress will not support any implementing legislation to give this dangerous treaty the legs it needs to take effect.
The letter from the Senate was detailed in a press release from Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), who announced that 50 Senators, including Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), “overwhelming [oppose]” ratification of the treaty. The letter clearly states that the “U.S. will not be bound by [the] U.N. Arms Trade Treaty.”
As the NRA points out, this comes on top of Senator James Inhofe’s (R-OK) March 23rd amendment to the FY 2014 Budget Resolution, which “established a deficit neutral fund” for the “purpose of preventing the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.”
The good news for gun owners is that a ratifying resolution of the ATT would require two-thirds support in the Senate. With 50 Senators on record in opposition to the treaty, such a super majority is not possible at this time.
Yet diligence is required, because a shift in the makeup of the Senate could open the door to future ratification.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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