Mr. Dennis D. Martin, Jr.
64-5293 Hoohoa Street
Kamuela, HI 96743-8225
Dear Mr. Martin,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.
In 2006, the United Nations proposed the Arms Trade Treaty to establish international standards for the import and export of firearms to combat instability in war-torn nations. Existing international law provides no standards for the trade of firearms. In the United States, our well-developed civil society and rule of law create a stable environment within which Second Amendment rights are exercised. However, in less developed nations these protections do not exist, and easy access to firearms has contributed to substantial violence, oppression, and suffering.
Although the treaty is still under negotiation, 57 U.S. Senators have expressed their opposition to such a plan. The opposition of 57 Senators makes it unlikely that such a treaty would be ratified should the Administration send it to the Senate.
On December 7, 2011, Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) introduced H.R. 3594, the Second Amendment Protection Act of 2011. H.R. 3594 would cut funding to the United Nations if a treaty is adopted that infringes upon Americans' gun ownership rights, among other provisions.
H.R. 3594 has been referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee, of which I am not a member. Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind should H.R. 3594, or similar legislation, be considered by the House of Representatives during the 112th Congress.
Again, thank you for contacting me. If you would like to stay in touch with me on this or other issues of importance to you, please visit my website at
http://hirono.house.gov, and sign up to receive my regular e-mail updates. Please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future if I may be of assistance to you in any way.
Heres what I got from my useless rep.