by Joseph P. Tartaro
Executive Editor

After carefully excluding representatives of gunowner and hunter organizations such as the World Forum on the Future of Shooting Sports Activities (WFSA), international gun control advocates spelled out their future agenda at a meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mar. 16-18.

Following the meeting the chair’s report included a blueprint for global gun control that included the basics of almost every idea offered by anti-gunners at the federal and state level in the United States. The meeting was convened by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in collaboration with the government of Brazil, other national governments and non-government organizations recognized by the United Nations (UN). When not invited to the Rio meeting, the WFSA asked to attend but was told that only those organizations and nations that supported the global gun control were welcome.

At the meeting, participants reviewed their progress on the UN’s 2001 Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, as well as national and regional efforts around the world to date. At the meeting it was decided that most of the small arms in the world were in civilian hands and that civilians also were the victims of most misuse of these arms.

The chair then reported that a consensus was reached: “It is therefore necessary to recognize that all civilian-held firearms, whether legal or illegally held, pose potential threats for misuse, and legislation must recognize and address this reality.”

While earlier meetings were reportedly focused on the misuse of small arms in civil wars and quasi-governmental actions, this meeting made it abundantly clear that the focus is on disarming civilians around the world based on the “potential for misuse.”

The chair’s report continued:

“Building on the principles noted in the chair’s summary report from the January 2005 meeting  . . . the experts proposed a number of principles that could form the basis for minimum standards (emphasis added by Gun Week) to guide national small arms control policies and regulations:

“— Civilians should be restricted from acquiring or possessing small arms designed for military use.

“— Ownership of small arms should be contingent on obtaining a firearms license, which, in turn, could be based on the following minimum criteria, inter alia—meeting a minimum age requirement; lacking a relevant criminal history, including of intimate partner and family violence; existence of a legitimate reason to acquire weapons; observance of relevant gun laws as well as the safe and efficient handling of small arms.

“— Small arms licenses should be time-limited and subject to periodic renewal.

“— Measures should be in place to allow for the removal of small arms from owners whose licenses have been revoked or persons unfit to possess firearms.

“— Small arms ammunition sales should be restricted to those with a valid firearms license, and only for ammunition suitable for the type of gun specified on the license as well as limitation on the number of rounds of ammunition allowed.

“— States (nations) should ensure that adequate records are kept of all civilian-held small arms, including details of the authorized holder and unique serial number of the weapon.

“— Greater co-ordination of civilian focused small arms laws and enforcement practices should be encouraged to the greatest extent possible to ensure consistent good practices within regions as well as national uniformity.

“— Where feasible, states, international organizations and civil society should provide assistance and collaborate for the effective implementation of standards such as these.”