I got this from Amnesty International:
Dear Tracy,
"People were being killed everywhere. My four-year old son was lost and the moment he shouted out to try and find us, they shot him. But to save my other two children's lives, we had to flee."
-- Mariame, Cote d'Ivoire1
As
a mother and as a human rights activist, I cannot begin to fathom the
impossible decisions women like Mariame have been forced to make. My
blood boils when I think of those subjected to unthinkable abuses with a
gun to their head.
Too many times we hear stories like Mariame's and think there's nothing we can do. Well, that's wrong. You and I can help stop guns from reaching the hands of warlords and tyrants right now.
Next week, world leaders will gather in New York to negotiate the world's first serious attempt at regulating the flow of weapons globally. Their work should be simple -- don't give guns to bad guys a.k.a. human rights abusers.
However, the five member countries leading negotiations -- the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom -- are also the world's largest arms traders in a $100 billion business.
The U.S., the biggest exporter of them all, was also the biggest disappointment during last summer's negotiations. In the final minutes - after a heavy lobbying effort led by NRA officials - the U.S. walked away from the table, triggering a domino effect as other countries backed out as well.
Don't let the U.S. walk away again -- urge President Obama to support a strong Arms Trade Treaty.
The U.S. claimed it needed more time, but here's what it really walked away from:
Too many times we hear stories like Mariame's and think there's nothing we can do. Well, that's wrong. You and I can help stop guns from reaching the hands of warlords and tyrants right now.
Next week, world leaders will gather in New York to negotiate the world's first serious attempt at regulating the flow of weapons globally. Their work should be simple -- don't give guns to bad guys a.k.a. human rights abusers.
However, the five member countries leading negotiations -- the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom -- are also the world's largest arms traders in a $100 billion business.
The U.S., the biggest exporter of them all, was also the biggest disappointment during last summer's negotiations. In the final minutes - after a heavy lobbying effort led by NRA officials - the U.S. walked away from the table, triggering a domino effect as other countries backed out as well.
Don't let the U.S. walk away again -- urge President Obama to support a strong Arms Trade Treaty.
The U.S. claimed it needed more time, but here's what it really walked away from:
- Nearly half a million people -- from Connecticut to Congo -- who have since been killed by guns
- Millions of women and girls who have been raped, tortured or otherwise abused at gunpoint
- A chance to rein in an arms trade that's gotten way out of control
As the largest arms exporter in the world, the United States has not just an opportunity but an obligation to do something to reduce gun violence globally.
We have a chance to make needed changes. We have to try. Please do what you can to keep weapons out of the hands of those who will use them to do harm.
Michelle Ringuette
Chief of Campaigns & Programs
Amnesty International USA
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