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International & United Nations Gun Control

NRA has been engaged at the United Nations and elsewhere internationally in response to overreaching small arms initiatives for two decades. During this time, we have been actively opposing transnational efforts that would limit Americans’ Second Amendment freedoms. NRA has been a recognized Non-Governmental Organization at the United Nations since 1996. Our status as an NGO allows us to closely monitor the internal UN debate over firearm issues and report back to our members.

The most pressing international threat to U.S. gun owners is the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Among its most egregious provisions, the treaty encourages national recordkeeping requirements for “end users” of covered arms (including firearms), and suggests that national governments share such records. Further, the ATT compels countries to make arms import and export decisions based upon a trading partner’s willingness to abide by the treaty’s requirements, which could isolate the United States from legitimate trade in arms or force it to adopt restrictions detrimental to Second Amendment rights. During the drafting phase, NRA vigorously advocated for civilian firearm ownership be removed from the treaty’s scope. Those recommendations were ignored, meaning U.S. firearms policy could become the rest of the world’s business and subject to its approval, on pain of trade restrictions if it doesn’t meet “international norms.”

Secretary of State John Kerry signed the ATT on behalf of the U.S. on September 25, 2013. NRA continues to work with its Senate allies to prevent ratification or implementation of the treaty in the U.S.

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Return to Paradise? Government of Turks and Caicos Amends Draconian Weapons Law

News  

Monday, June 24, 2024

Return to Paradise? Government of Turks and Caicos Amends Draconian Weapons Law

We have recently been reporting on the untenable situation in the popular tourist destination of the Turks and ...

Paradise Lost: Efforts Intensify for Justice in Turks and Caicos

News  

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Paradise Lost: Efforts Intensify for Justice in Turks and Caicos

Recently, we published a warning for gun owners traveling to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British territory ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief with U.S. Supreme Court Supporting American Firearms Manufacturers in Lawsuit Brought by Mexico

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief with U.S. Supreme Court Supporting American Firearms Manufacturers in Lawsuit Brought by Mexico

Fairfax, Virginia – Today, NRA filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in Smith & Wesson ...

ATT Meeting Confirms Worst Fears for International Gun Control

News  

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

ATT Meeting Confirms Worst Fears for International Gun Control

Amidst ongoing wars in Ukraine and Yemen, China posturing in the Taiwan Strait, and increasing instability in the ...

The Washington Times  

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Taking Aim at the Arms Trade Treaty

Some of the most notable policy victories take time — and they seldom generate banner headlines. Take the ...

Breitbart  

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Bolsonaro Expands Brazilian Gun Rights with Executive Order

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro kept one of his campaign promises on Tuesday by signing an executive order to ...

What “Unsigning” the Arms Trade Treaty Means for American Gun Owners

News  

Friday, May 3, 2019

What “Unsigning” the Arms Trade Treaty Means for American Gun Owners

Last Friday, President Trump took the historic step of ordering the “unsigning” of the United Nations Arms Trade ...

MSNBC Reporter Unwittingly Discovers the Importance of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

News  

Friday, May 3, 2019

MSNBC Reporter Unwittingly Discovers the Importance of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Sometimes even the worst of the media inadvertently stumbles upon the truth. On April 30th, MSNBC reported that ...

Swiss Politician Attacks Military Officers' Association Over Pro-Rights Stance

News  

Friday, May 3, 2019

Swiss Politician Attacks Military Officers' Association Over Pro-Rights Stance

As NRA-ILA previously reported, on May 19 Swiss citizens will vote in a referendum to determine whether the idyllic and well-armed mountain nation ...

Fox News  

Thursday, May 2, 2019

MSNBC reporter says if Venezuelan military 'have the guns they have the power'

A journalist reporting on the crisis in Venezuela Tuesday said the efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro are ...

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.