UNITED NATIONS, New York – According to an Associated Press report, the U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly endorsed the idea of an unprecedented treaty regulating the global arms trade, despite opposition from the United States.
Of the U.N.’s 192 member nations, 147 voted in favor of drafting the treaty. Only the U.S. and Zimbabwe voted against it, with the other nations absent or abstaining. U.S.-based gun groups point out that an Obama administration would likely not oppose such a treaty for the first time.
The legally binding treaty would require governments to authorize weapons exports only after ascertaining that they will not provoke or prolong armed conflicts, aid in human rights abuses, destabilize countries or undermine peace in other ways.
