I got this from Amnesty International:
Dear Tracy,
You don't have a choice when you're 8 years old and an AK-47 is forced into your hands at gun point.
Not a day goes by where I do not think of the horrors I witnessed as a child soldier in South Sudan.
The irresponsible and unregulated flow of weapons made the killing and rape of millions of my people not only possible, but all too easy. In Sudan, everyone had been touched by gun violence. We all knew a loved one whose life was cut short by a bullet from a gun.
Beginning today, world leaders have a second chance to make this right.
My name is Emmanuel Jal and I'm joining with Amnesty International in calling for President Obama to support a strong Arms Trade Treaty.
***
Emmanuel's story is a special one, but he is not alone. Every year, at least half a million men, women and children are killed by armed violence. That comes out to roughly 1 person being killed every minute of this year.
My name is Nate Smith and my story is different. It takes place in those final critical moments of last year's Arms Trade Treaty negotiations when the U.S. had a chance to stop weapons from getting into the hands of human rights abusers.
I was there representing Amnesty International and could not believe my eyes.
In the very final minutes -- breaking under pressure from special interest groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) -- U.S. delegates walked away from the table claiming they needed more time.
We can't change what happened last year, but we can fight for right now. Email a message to President Obama telling him you care about protecting families worldwide from gun violence or message the White House via Twitter to add your signature to our digital petition.
That's why I'm back in New York right now attending the Arms Trade Treaty talks, along with a renewed sense of confidence that this year can be different.
Here's why: Over the past few months, we've built a powerful network of lawyers and legal scholars to help us set the record straight for the NRA and anyone else tempted to fall for its lies about the ATT -- the Arms Trade Treaty will not affect the rights of gun owners in the United States.
Amnesty has joined the strength of the legal community with the voices of millions of human rights supporters worldwide -- including those who've added their Twignatures to our Twitter petition -- to make the strongest case possible for a bulletproof Arms Trade Treaty.
So President Obama, we hope you're ready and listening: Support a strong Arms Trade Treaty and keeps arms out of the hands of human rights abusers.
Thank You,
You don't have a choice when you're 8 years old and an AK-47 is forced into your hands at gun point.
Not a day goes by where I do not think of the horrors I witnessed as a child soldier in South Sudan.
The irresponsible and unregulated flow of weapons made the killing and rape of millions of my people not only possible, but all too easy. In Sudan, everyone had been touched by gun violence. We all knew a loved one whose life was cut short by a bullet from a gun.
Beginning today, world leaders have a second chance to make this right.
My name is Emmanuel Jal and I'm joining with Amnesty International in calling for President Obama to support a strong Arms Trade Treaty.
***
Emmanuel's story is a special one, but he is not alone. Every year, at least half a million men, women and children are killed by armed violence. That comes out to roughly 1 person being killed every minute of this year.
My name is Nate Smith and my story is different. It takes place in those final critical moments of last year's Arms Trade Treaty negotiations when the U.S. had a chance to stop weapons from getting into the hands of human rights abusers.
I was there representing Amnesty International and could not believe my eyes.
In the very final minutes -- breaking under pressure from special interest groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) -- U.S. delegates walked away from the table claiming they needed more time.
We can't change what happened last year, but we can fight for right now. Email a message to President Obama telling him you care about protecting families worldwide from gun violence or message the White House via Twitter to add your signature to our digital petition.
That's why I'm back in New York right now attending the Arms Trade Treaty talks, along with a renewed sense of confidence that this year can be different.
Here's why: Over the past few months, we've built a powerful network of lawyers and legal scholars to help us set the record straight for the NRA and anyone else tempted to fall for its lies about the ATT -- the Arms Trade Treaty will not affect the rights of gun owners in the United States.
Amnesty has joined the strength of the legal community with the voices of millions of human rights supporters worldwide -- including those who've added their Twignatures to our Twitter petition -- to make the strongest case possible for a bulletproof Arms Trade Treaty.
So President Obama, we hope you're ready and listening: Support a strong Arms Trade Treaty and keeps arms out of the hands of human rights abusers.
Thank You,
 |
Emmanuel Jal
Musician and Activist |
 |
Nate Smith
Military, Security and Police Transfers Coordination Group, Chairperson Amnesty International USA |
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