Overseas Plans to Confiscate Your Firearms
As a part of the microdisarmament process, a UN "Panel of Governmental Experts" (24) has been established to consider the regulation of small arms, again funded by Japan.
The meetings of this "expert" group are understood to be closed to outside participants. The panel, chaired by Japanese Ambassador Mitsuro Donowaki, held its first session in New York in June, 1996. A Dr Natalie Goldring was amongst the guest "scholars" to speak.
Dr Goldring and Susannah Dyer, who work for the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) Project On Light Weapons, are co-authors of a significant paper entitled "Controlling Global Light Weapons Transfers: Working Towards Policy Options", April 16th, 1996. The following excerpts from it are very revealing:
Creative ways of approaching the proliferation of light weapons, such as gun buy-back programs, could reduce the overall supply of these weapons. Such economic incentives could increase the effectiveness of disarmament and dismantlement efforts...
These efforts are just beginning in many countries, and their success is not all that assured. Nonetheless, they tie control of international weapons transfers to an issue that is much more readily understood - violence in the streets.
....Opponents of such controls include weapons manufacturers and powerful lobbying interests such as the NRA.... generally well funded, these opponents represent a significant barrier to controls. The UN is attempting to counter such groups (by engaging in studies of) the relationship between firearms and crime and the damage caused by civilian-owner firearms. (25)
....Yet when viewed as a long-term goal, control of light weapons transfers is more viable, especially when more modest intermediate steps may be combined to produce long-term policy change.... Projects designed to increase the profile of the light weapons issue may be undertaken by a variety of groups, including the international community of Non-Government Organisations, research organisations, academics, media, and concerned citizens. After gaining greater understanding of these issues, these groups will be better positioned to make constructive policy proposals and to be active and committed participants in improving the prospects for control. (26)
After getting the light weapons issue onto the international agenda, the next step is to create an environment that is supportive of control.... Ultimately, unless there is a global norm which decries the consequences of light weapons, it will be difficult to control this class of weapons.... Evidence of the consequences of supply and misuse of weapons will help convince policy makers that the benefits of controlling light weapons far outweigh the costs. (27)
In order to address effectively the many negative consequences of light weapons, a diverse coalition to control their transfer must be established. The perspectives of physicians, humanitarian aid workers, economists, trade unions, police and religious, veterans, gun control, peace and environmental groups must be included in such a coalition. (28)
Is this beginning to sound familiar yet? It goes on and on. For a decade, lawful Australian firearm owners have wondered where the savage attacks on them have stemmed from. Here is the answer. With the aid of bipartisan Federal government, we are importing them.
24. Ibid.
25. BASIC, 16 April, 1996, pp7-8.
26. Ibid, p14.
27. Ibid, pp14-15.
28. Ibid, p16.
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