Rep. LaMalfa Calls on Senate to Reject Arms Trade Treaty

Washington, DC – Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) today released the following statement after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which could lead to further restrictions being placed on the gun rights of American citizens. For example, the treaty could effectively create a gun registry by requiring firearms shipped across borders to be tracked to end users and for a period of ten years thereafter.

"Secretary of State John Kerry's signing of the Arms Trade Treaty is a disturbing development that shows the Obama Administration will attack the Second Amendment at every opportunity. It is shocking that any President would risk infringing upon our guaranteed rights under the Constitution through an international treaty," said LaMalfa. "Fortunately, the process of ratifying this agreement has only begun, and I will continue to make the case that this treaty is wrong for our country and urge that it be defeated."

The Arms Trade Treaty was approved by the United Nations General Assembly and opened for signatures in June of this year. It aims to regulate the trade of conventional weapons, including small arms purchased by individuals. Many have expressed objections that the ATT does not do enough to protect individual gun rights and unnecessarily infringes on American sovereignty and Constitutional rights.

"Members of both parties in the House and Senate have repeatedly expressed our serious concerns with this deeply flawed treaty. The Obama Administration's failure to appreciate our objections is disappointing, however I am confident my colleagues in the Senate will stop the Arms Trade Treaty from being ratified," LaMalfa added.

Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.