Breathing Down Our Necks

Well, it looks like President Obama plans to make good on some of his campaign promises - such as gun control. It would seem our esteemed leader *please note the sarcasm in my tone* would like to participate in CIFTA.

What is CIFTA you ask? I had no clue and I'm ashamed to admit that.

CIFTA is a treaty that has been signed by 33 countries in our hemisphere. (to use a momily - if everyone jumped off a cliff, would you do it just to belong?) The United States is one of four nations that have yet to ratify the convention, although Obama administration officials say the U.S. government has sought to abide by its spirit for years. The treaty was sent to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1998, but no action has been taken since then. The treaty requires countries to take steps to reduce the illegal manufacture and trade in guns, ammunition and explosives. It also calls for countries to adopt strict licensing requirements, mark firearms when they are made and imported to make them easier to trace, and establish a process for sharing information between national law enforcement agencies investigating smuggling.

On the surface, you're thinking, ok, what's the big deal? Well, let me just outline a few things for you. And, let me clarify things by saying I am not a bigtime gun person. I hated guns for years and thought James Brady was right about everything. Then, Uzz and I were threatened by his criminally insane former brother-in-law. The psycho threatened to kill our entire family at Pickle's baptism. Uzz - probably for the first time - borrowed a gun from a friend. Self-defense made sense to us.

A few years later after my divorce, I met Army of Dad. Through him, I have learned many reasons why guns aren't the evil devices I always thought they were. I felt they were dangerous and I believed the whole guns kill people mantra. Now, I know the truth. People kill people. There are many reasons to have weapons: self-defense, sport and as family heirlooms. Even children can be taught the safe handling of firearms.

I was surfing around to favorite blogs after not doing that for a while and Army Wife Toddler Mom had a CNN news clip about CIFTA that almost knocked me off of my seat.

Good old Barry wants to get all of us law-abiding citizens to register our firearms AND then he wants to share our names with the world. Oh good. So my husband with the Concealed Handgun License will now have a price on his head by whomever the Mexican government decides to sell our list to. If you trust ANY government that much, then I have some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you. Even if you don't like guns, you have to admit the idea of telling our foreign neighbors our business is insane.

Seriously, the idea of me registering my private self-defense weapon is offensive as it is. But, the concept of sharing that information with foreign countries is downright stupid. Mr. XYZ Country - here is a list of American potential freedom fighters should your country decide to bomb the hell out of us and then invade. You'll know who to knock off first. Geebus H. Christmas. What the hell is he thinking?

Please contact your U.S. representative and senators and tell them that CIFTA cannot be enacted in the USA. I have already contacted my elected officials.

P.S. I found another good piece of background information at Women of Caliber and Pittsburgh We Surround Them 9/12 Project about the issue.