U.S. Continues to Oppose Including Ammunition in Arms Trade Treaty
The U.S. "has made clear that ammunition should not be included within the scope of the Arms Trade Treaty, said Thomas Countryman, assistant Secretary of State-Bureau of International Security, July 10 at the U.N. conference that begins talks toward the treaty.
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Countryman said the U.S.. "recognizes that the illicit trafficking of ammunition poses challenges to the international community and we have worked with our law enforcement partners and other nations in practical ways to meet these challenges." But he said including ammunition within the scope of an ATT "will do little or nothing to achieve the goals of the Arms Trade Treaty" for several reasons:
- Ammunition is fungible, consumable, reloadable, and can't be marked in any practical way that would permit it to be tracked or traced.
- Limiting ammunition would result in "significant burdens associated with licensing, authorizations, and recordkeeping."
- Requiring domestic controls is beyond the scope of a treaty regulating international transfers.