by Dave Workman
Senior Editor
“These people, if nothing, are persistent.”
That was the warning from former United Nations (UN) Ambassador John Bolton, keynote speaker at this year’s National Rifle Association (NRA) banquet, in his cautionary speech about the campaign for global gun control. Bolton, prior to leaving as ambassador in December of last year, had led the charge to defend American gun rights at the UN.
Described by NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre in his introduction of Bolton as “a leader the anti-gunners love to hate,” the former diplomat told the audience of about 2,000 people that “It’s our freedom and our democracy that are endangered.”
The UN has been working on citizen disarmament programs around the world, and the biggest obstacle anti-gunners face is the United States Constitution. Bolton said the anti-gun campaign is “cleverly disguised” as a project aimed at “small arms and light weapons,” but is actually aimed at privately-held firearms.
“We do not support measures,” he said, “that prohibit private ownership of small arms.”
But this could change with a new administration. Bolton also warned that “foreign diplomats concentrate on wearing us down.” They will continue coming back, using different strategies, until at some point, with the right administration and Congress in power, they will succeed.
This was the strategy in a decision back in 2001 to have a second conference on small arms at the UN. The first foray, held in 2001, was not successful because the US delegation, led by Bolton, fended off gun control efforts. The UN anti-gunners then decided to hold a second summit in 2006, apparently in hopes that the 2004 presidential election would have had a different result, with a different team representing the country at the UN.
That did not happen, but when Bolton’s nomination came up in the Fall for permanent appointment, the newly-empowered Democrat Senate made it clear that Bolton’s nomination would be rejected. Leading that charge was Sen. Joe Biden, a perennial anti-gunner from Delaware.
Reminding the audience that gun rights here in America differentiate the US from every other nation, Bolton observed, “How many countries around the world have our kind of freedom?”
“We have the moral high ground of democratic legitimacy,” he said.
Bolton tried to reform the UN over the past two years as ambassador, and he noted that “many people here believe this is a complete waste of time and that we ought to just get out of the UN.”
That remark brought applause, but Bolton cautioned NRA members that they need to pay attention to UN activities. This country pays 22% of the budget at the UN, Bolton said.
“We should get what we pay for,” he observed.
Shifting topics, he said there is “no doubt in my mind that North Korea would sell nuclear weapons to al Qaeda if it could come up with the money.” Despite attempts to negotiate, he said North Korea will “never give up pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
As a result, America must remain vigilant, and he suggested that this country will “never find solutions in the UN.”
“This is not a time to fall prey to the illusion hat we are living in a safe world,” Bolton said. “Stay active this year and next year, and keep the fight going forward.”