No guns will travel.

• Position: Nov. 14, 1997, at the 24 special session of the Organization of American States, an inter-American convention was signed against illegal manufacturing and trafficking in guns, ammunition, explosives and related items - Brief Article

A Milestone in hemispheric cooperation was reached last November 14, at the Twenty-Fourth Special Session of the OAS General Assembly, with the signing of the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials.

U. S. president Bill Clinton, Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo, and OAS secretary general Cesar Gaviria all addressed the distinguished gathering of ambassadors to the OAS, government leaders, and members of the U.S. Congress on the occasion of the signing of this historic convention by twenty-nine OAS member states.

President Clinton remarked that the agreement "underscores the new spirit of the Americas and the new dynamism of the Organization." He went on to state, "in the last year alone, thousands of handguns and rifles, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition destined for illegal export have been seized in the Americas. And this is not simply a hemispheric concern. The illegal export of firearms is a worldwide phenomenon, and it demands an international response."

Reaffirming the commitment of the U.S. to the elimination of gun trafficking, Clinton stated, "Last year, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms received approximately thirty thousand requests from OAS member states to trace weapons used in crimes. Gun trafficking is an issue of national security for our governments, and a matter of neighborhood security for all of us in the Americas." Clinton stressed that illegal trade in guns has been a major force in undermining democracy and peace in the hemisphere.

The U.S. president also outlined the major points of the convention: First, it requires countries to establish and maintain a strong system of export, import, and international transit licenses for arms, ammunition, and explosives; second, other nations will join the United States in putting markings on firearms, not only when they are made, but also when they are imported; third, countries will adopt laws that criminalize illicit arms production and sales; and fourth, every level of information sharing will be stepped up, from common routes used by arms traffickers, to tips on how to detect smuggled goods.

In his address, President Zedillo recognized the concern and sensitivity of the U.S. government to the grave problem of arms trafficking. He remarked that this convention is the first to set forth a "precise definition of...