THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY GODSHALL, METCALFE, AUMENT, BAKER, BLOOM, BOYD, CAUSER, CLYMER, COX, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, ELLIS, EMRICK, FLECK, GIBBONS, GILLEN, GRELL, HAHN, HARHAI, HARRIS, HEFFLEY, KAUFFMAN, M. K. KELLER, KNOWLES, KORTZ, LAWRENCE, LONGIETTI, MALONEY, METZGAR, MILLARD, MILLER, MOUL, MULLERY, PAYNE, PERRY, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROCK, SAINATO, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, CULVER, SCHRODER, STERN, TALLMAN, TOEPEL, TOOHIL, TURZAI, VEREB, GROVE, VULAKOVICH AND GEIST, OCTOBER 3, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, OCTOBER 3, 2011  

A RESOLUTION

Urging the Senate of the United States to oppose the United

Nations' arms trade treaty if it restricts the rights of

Pennsylvania citizens under either the Second Amendment to

the United States Constitution or Article I, Section 21 of

the Pennsylvania Constitution.

WHEREAS, The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the

United States and Article I, Section 21 of the Constitution of

Pennsylvania guarantee a fundamental right to keep and bear

arms; and

WHEREAS, In October of 2009 at the United Nations General

Assembly, the United States delegate voted for the United States

to participate in negotiating an arms trade treaty; and 

WHEREAS, Preparatory committee meetings have been held in

anticipation of a conference in 2012 to finalize the arms trade

treaty; and

WHEREAS, While the 2009 resolution on the treaty acknowledged

the existence of "national constitutional protections on private

ownership," it placed the existence of these protections in the

context of the right of nations "to regulate internal transfers

of arms and national ownership," implying that constitutional

protections must be interpreted in the context of the broader

power of a nation to regulate; and 

WHEREAS, United Nations member countries routinely claim that

no treaty controlling the transfer of arms internationally can

be effective without controls on transfers inside member

countries; and 

WHEREAS, Reports from the 2010 Preparatory Meeting make it

clear that many United Nations member countries aim to craft an

extremely broad arms trade treaty that would pose dangers to all

United States businesses and individuals involved in any aspect

of the firearms industry; and 

WHEREAS, At the 2010 Meeting, the United States delegate

twice expressed frustration with the wide-ranging and

unrealistic scope of the proposed treaty; and 

WHEREAS, On July 11, 2011, 45 United States Senators sent a

letter to the President of the United States and the Secretary

of State stating that the Senators would oppose ratification of

a United Nations' arms trade treaty that in any way restricts

the rights of law-abiding United States citizens to manufacture,

assemble, possess, transfer or purchase firearms, ammunition and

related items; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Senate of the United

States to oppose the United Nations' arms trade treaty if it

restricts the rights of Pennsylvania citizens under either the

Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States or

Article I, Section 21 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania; and

be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to

the President of the United States Senate and to each United

States Senator from Pennsylvania.