Billy Long on the Second Amendment: I'm sticking to my guns

In his latest newsletter, Seventh District Congressman Billy Long lets constituents know that he is doing everything he can to protect the Second Amendment against people like that mean old Barack Obama.

I know many of you have expressed concerns about the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. I want to take this opportunity to share my thoughts with you about this treaty, which I see as a threat to our Second Amendment right to bear arms.

I am disheartened to see a new push by this administration for a global Arms Trade Treaty at the United Nations.  While the final treaty is still under discussion, its purpose is to regulate the global arms trade to prevent the transfer of weapons to oppressive nations.  To accomplish this goal, it imposes new international controls over the transfer of weapons and their components, including ammunition. 

I agree that keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of bad actors is a worthy aim, but I cannot support a treaty that allows international law to overstep its bounds and potentially infringe on our constitutional right to bear arms.  Such treaties often restrict the transfer of weapons into the hands of American allies while America’s enemies import weapons from nations that refuse to honestly abide by treaty restrictions.  America is also a major exporter of weapons, which supports thousands of jobs.  Overly restrictive controls could interfere with the ability of our businesses to ship their products to legitimate overseas buyers, which could result in the loss of American jobs.

For these reasons I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 3594, theSecond Amendment Protection Act.  This bill would prohibit the United States from providing any funding to the United Nations during any fiscal year unless the president certifies that the United Nations has not taken any action which would infringe on Americans’ Constitutional rights. 

I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 5846, the Second Amendment Sovereignty Act.  This bill would prohibit the use of any taxpayer dollars for the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations or any other United Nations action which could infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.  The measure would also prevent the use of funds to enter into any agreement that would create new regulations, controls or prohibitions against the manufacture, sale, possession, or use of light arms manufactured in the United States. 

The Arms Trade Treaty has been presented as a means to control the flow of international weapons into repressive nations, but until the treaty has been concluded and presented to the U.S. Senate we will not know all of the proposal’s details.  However, I hope my colleagues in the Senate will reject any treaty that violates our Second Amendment right to bear arms.