Jul 26 2012

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a strong supporter of the Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms, opposes the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty.

 

“As a strong defender of the right of Americans to keep and bear arms, I have serious concerns about the dangers posed by the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty,” said Graham.  “Our country’s sovereignty and the constitutional protection of these individual freedoms must not be infringed.”

 

“The NRA, our four million members and the tens of millions of law-abiding Americans who own firearms will never surrender our right to keep and bear arms to the United Nations,” said Chris Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “That is why the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty has been met with the full opposition of the NRA. We are grateful for the efforts of these senators to oppose this encroachment of international tyranny.”

 

Graham made his opposition clear and listed out shortcomings with the current language in a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

 

The letter, circulated by Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), was signed by 50 United States Senators: Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Max Baucus (D-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mark Begich (D-AK), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bob Casey (D-PA), Dan Coats (R-IN), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dean Heller (R-NV), John Hoeven (R-ND), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), James Inhofe (R-OK), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Mike Lee (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Rand Paul (R-KY), Rob Portman (R-OH), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Jim Risch (R-ID), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Richard Shelby (R-AL), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Thune (R-SD), Pat Toomey (R-PA), David Vitter (R-LA), Jim Webb (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

 

The full text of the signed letter is below and the PDF version can be found here.

 

July 26, 2012

 

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

2291 C St., NW

Washington, D.C. 20520

 

 

Dear President Obama and Secretary Clinton:

 

 

       As defenders of the right of Americans to keep and bear arms, we write to express our grave concern about the dangers posed by the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty. Our country’s sovereignty and the constitutional protection of these individual freedoms must not be infringed.

 

 

       In October of 2009 at the U.N. General Assembly, your administration voted for the U.S. to participate in negotiating this treaty. We understand that the final treaty text will not be publicly available until it has been agreed to, on a consensus basis, by all the nations at the conference to be held in New York in July. But having reviewed the Chairman’s Draft Paper made available by the United Nations, we are concerned that the Arms Trade Treaty poses dangers to rights protected under the Second Amendment for the following reasons.

 

       First, while the Draft Paper nominally applies only to “international arms transfers,” it defines such transfers as including “transport” across national territory. It requires signatories to “monitor and control” arms in transit, and to “enforce domestically the obligations of this treaty” by prohibiting the unauthorized “transfer of arms from any location.” This implies an expansion of federal firearms controls that would be unacceptable on Second Amendment grounds. 

       Second, the Draft Paper requires nations to “maintain records of all imports and shipments of arms that transit their territory,” including the identity of individual end users. This information is to be reported to the U.N.-based Implementation Support Unit. The Draft Paper thus appears to suggest the creation of an U.N.-based firearms registry for all firearms that are either imported into or transit across national territory, which raises both Second Amendment and privacy concerns. 

       Finally, the Draft Paper requires that nations “shall take all appropriate measures necessary to prevent the diversion of imported arms into the illicit market or to unintended end users.” This clause appears to create a presumption in favor of the adoption, at the federal level, of further controls on firearms. We are concerned that, in this regard as well as in others, the treaty will create an open-ended obligation that will in practice be defined by international opinion, and will be used to push the U.S. in the direction of measures that would infringe on both Second Amendment freedoms and the U.S.’s sovereignty more broadly. 

       We acknowledge, with gratitude, that your administration has clearly stated that the treaty must not infringe in any way on the Second Amendment. Notwithstanding, we must state with clarity what this entails. 

       First, the treaty should explicitly recognize the legitimacy of hunting, sport shooting, and other lawful activities – including the collection and display by individuals and museums of military antiques – related to the private ownership of firearms, and related materials.

 

        Second, the treaty should not include the manufacturing, assembly, possession, transfer, or purchase of small arms, light weapons, ammunition, or related materials that are defined under domestic law by national authority as legal for private ownership, nor should it contain any open-ended obligations that could imply any need to impose controls that would have any domestic effect on any or all of these items.

 

 

       Third, the Draft Paper is based in part on recognizing the inherent right of all states to individual or collective self-defense. We certainly agree that this right is inherent, at least, in all democratic and law-abiding states. But we also believe that the right of personal self-defense is a human right that is inherent in the individual. U.N. organizations, by contrast, have in the past argued that gun control is mandated by international human rights law, and that the right of self-defense does not exist. The treaty should clearly state that any assertion of the inherent right of all states to individual or collective self-defense cannot prejudice the inherent human right of personal self-defense.

 

 

       As the treaty process continues, we strongly encourage your administration not only to uphold our country’s constitutional protections of civilian firearms ownership, but to ensure – if necessary, by breaking consensus at the July conference – that the treaty will explicitly recognize the legitimacy of lawful activities associated with firearms, including but not limited to the right of self-defense. As members of the United States Senate, we will oppose the ratification of any Arms Trade Treaty that falls short of this standard.

 

 

       We appreciate your consideration on this issue and look forward to your response.

 

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Jul 18 2012

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement on the situation in Syria:

 

“It is imperative in light of the most recent wave of violence in Syria that the United States begin to lead the international community to resolve the conflict.  We need to form a coalition to help arm the rebels, as well as create no-fly and no-drive zones to stop the slaughter by the Assad regime.  I cannot say with certainty what will follow Assad but I can say with certainty that Assad must go, sooner rather than later.

 

“If America is seen as being helpful in ending the slaughter of the Syrian people, it will allow us to have a stronger, future relationship with Assad’s eventual successor.  Replacing Assad in Syria is critical to regional stability, a major blow to the Iranian regime and will bolster our national security interests.

 

“The Obama Administration, and the world at large, is fiddling while Syria burns.  I hope we don’t end up regretting our inaction.”

 

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Jul 13 2012

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made this statement on the letter sent by Republican leaders in the House and Senate to President Obama. The Republicans encouraged President Obama to work with them to prevent devastating sequestration cuts which are scheduled to go into effect in 2013.

Jul 13 2012

Washington– U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) today released the following joint statement regarding the situation in Syria:

“Today's extremely disturbing report in the Wall Street Journal that the Assad regime may be moving chemical weapons could have profound consequences for U.S. policy toward Syria. We have every reason to expect the worst of Assad and his forces, who are killing more people in Syria now than at any time in the conflict. First and foremost it is essential to determine whether this report is accurate, and if Assad is in fact moving chemical weapons, where and why they are being moved. We urge the Administration to brief Congress on what is known as soon as possible.

“If Assad is transferring chemical weapons from secure sites to the battlefield, it significantly raises the risks that they will be used or that control over these weapons could be compromised. These are unacceptable risks for the United States and the entire international community, and they would threaten our vital national security interests.

“If accurate, this would mean that the Assad regime cannot be trusted to exercise responsible stewardship over its weapons of mass destruction, and that allowing them to remain in Assad's hands presents a clear threat, not only to civilians in Syria but to international peace and security. If that is the case, the Administration should convene an urgent session of the UN Security Council to consider a Chapter 7 resolution demanding that Assad relinquish his weapons of mass destruction to responsible international control – and authorizing the use of all necessary means to enforce this demand. If Russia and China stand in the way, the United States must rally our friends and allies to act.

“Ultimately, this latest report adds new urgency to the need to end the rule of Assad and his top lieutenants. This report on chemical weapons, combined with another report on a mass slaughter in Tremseh, paints a picture of Syria continuing to spiral out of control.

“The longer this conflict grinds on, the worse it gets for the people of Syria and increasingly for the entire international community. According to some estimates, as many as 17,000 lives have been lost. Assad has clearly shown that he will stop at nothing to crush the Syrian opposition. Does anyone doubt this regime has the capacity to turn some of the world’s worst weapons on its own people? After every mass atrocity that is committed in the world, good people pledge ‘never again’ – that next time we will be ready, and we will have the resolve to act to prevent mass atrocities that we see gathering. Now is that time in Syria, and we urge the Administration to respond accordingly."

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Jul 03 2012

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today released the following statement on the agreement between the United States and Pakistan to reopen supply lines critical to coalition forces in Afghanistan.

 

Graham said:

 

“Today’s announcement by Secretary Clinton that Pakistan has agreed to reopen supply lines flowing into Afghanistan is welcome news and will greatly assist our war efforts. I am very pleased we were able to resolve this situation and am hopeful we can now build stronger relationships with Pakistan; particularly in the area of counterterrorism operations.  These supply lines are essential to supporting our troops in Afghanistan and I believe the terms and conditions negotiated by Secretary Clinton’s team are acceptable to American interests throughout the region.

 

“This agreement is a good step in the right direction, but more has to be done between the United States and Pakistan in the area of counterterrorism.  The drone attacks against terrorist enclaves on the Pakistan side of the border have seriously damaged terrorist networks seeking refuge in the tribal areas and such attacks must continue.  If the Pakistani military intelligence services would engage in aggressive efforts to combat terrorism in coordination with coalition forces, it would tremendously enhance our successes in Afghanistan, provide stability to the Pakistani government, and eventually a better life for people on both sides of the border.”

 

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Jun 29 2012

This weekend South Carolina will lay to rest three of her finest, Lt. Ryan Davis Rawl of Lexington, Sgt. 1st Class Brad Thomas of Easley, and Sgt. John "J.D." David Meador, II of Columbia. They were brave young men, with loving families, who volunteered to fight for their country.  

Jun 26 2012

Attorney General Holder Should Immediately Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate Leaks

"The numerous national security leaks reportedly originating out of the Executive Branch in recent months have been stunning."

Citing an ‘avalanche' of' national security leaks originating out of the Executive Branch 31 senators have written to Attorney General Eric Holder requesting he immediately appoint a special counsel, free from the appearance of a politics or undue influence, to investigate the matter.