Disarming the innocent

The old saying is "The pen is mightier than the sword."  Updated, the saying might mention something about the internet.

Richard Patterson made the following remarks on gun control at the UN.  His observations and suggestions are very sensible and realistic, thus likely to be ignored in upcoming citizen disarmament talks.  No matter what the Leftists call gun control, its about controlling the people's right to govern themselves. 

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Thank you Mr. Chairman.

My name is Richard Patterson, and I’m the Managing Director of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute—also known by our acronym SAAMI. We are an accredited standards-setting organization. Our standards—and products manufactured to our standards—are in use in every country in the world. We value facts and objectivity as the means to find effective solutions.

A standard is a set of procedures that if applied in a given situation, will result in a measurable, consistent, and predictable outcome. Every gun control program being promoted--up to and including door-to-door confiscation--has been tried. No one is able to point to positive metrics associated with the implementation of these gun control programs. The programs do not qualify as standards since they do not result in reductions in violence.

As we all know, illicit weapons can enter the black market through theft and diversion of government stockpiles, often involving corrupt officials. But they can also be manufactured by anyone with basic tools and knowledge. If criminals can't get weapons through the black market, they can simply make them. Visit any maximum security prison museum and there will be a large display of guns and ammunition illegally built by inmates. Drug cartels are building submarines in the jungle--manufacturing AKM's and ammunition is relative child's play.

Given this, we suggest there are two areas of focus where the United Nations can make a difference. The first is strict management of government stockpiles. The second is proper marking of all firearm receivers, and more consistent tracing of those found to have been used illegally.

In addition--and most important--we need to shift our focus from the weapons, to the criminal. Nothing will be as successful at stopping the scourge of violence as individual member states having fair systems of justice that provide the rapid apprehension and prosecution of people who choose the path of violence--regardless of the weapon used.

 -- Richard Patterson
First Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations
New York, 29 October, 2013
Statement by Richard Patterson, Managing Director
Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc