Key Manufacturers to Adopt Industry Regulations on Marking and Tracing Small Arms

UNITED NATIONS  — Key arms makers in the United States and Europe are willing to accept a voluntary program to mark and trace small arms to help curb illegal trafficking, according to documents seen by The Associated Press and confirmed by industry officials.


Diplomats involved in the initiative say it would help authorities stem the flow of legally purchased light weapons to black markets supplying conflicts around the world.

The agreement would come into effect regardless of the outcome of a U.N. conference that is debating a draft plan to control illegal small arms trafficking. Included in the draft is a provision calling for "negotiation of a legally binding instrument to identify and trace the lines of supply of small arms and light weapons."

The United States already requires a marking and tracing system, but it opposes this provision because it doesn't want to make a commitment before knowing all the details of an agreement, U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton told AP on Wednesday.

"After further negotiation, I wouldn't exclude the possibility of a treaty-like commitment dealing with the flow of illegal weapons into conflict-prone areas," he said.

The industry plan represents an effort by manufacturers to create a marking and tracing identification system with a degree of self-regulation.


The four-page agreement was signed by C. Edward Rowe, a senior executive at U.S. arms producer Sturm, Ruger and Co. -- representing the arms manufacturers -- and former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, co-chair of the Eminent Persons Group, a 23-member independent commission that seeks to control the spread of small arms.

Paul Jannuzzo, a vice president of Austria's Glock GmbH, confirmed the details of the agreement.

"It's something we're willing to abide by," he told AP. "If you want to cut off illicit trade you have to find its source."


"Voluntary industry self-regulation will, in greatly enhancing transparency and accountability, help curtail the potential for leakage (and) diversion from licit to illicit trafficking," Rowe wrote to Rocard after key manufacturers met in Kansas City in May to work out the agreement.

Details were completed at the Paris meeting attended by senior executives from Sturm, Ruger; Glock, whose pistol is the best seller with U.S. police forces; Berretta Armaments Italy, which makes the second U.S. police favorite; and French armsmaker Verney-Carron.


Diplomats said the Paris accord is expected to be circulated to delegates at the U.N. conference on the illegal trade in small arms, which began Monday and ends July 20.


With the consensus of all 189 U.N. member states needed to adopt the plan of action, it appeared unlikely that the language in the draft would survive. But diplomats said they are hopeful of finding wording that will lead to further negotiations sooner rather than later.

I thought we had a system for marking and tracing guns: SERIAL NUMBERS! What else can they do?

Yeah, I thought what they want is a manuf. name and a serial #. Arms makers in the US are already required to do that. Glock and H+K (USP anyway) come with serial numbers on 3 component of the gun.

Hmmmm I will have to check with my Dad.  I do not think that he and his father put any markings at all on the Sten gun parts they made in Holland during WWII in their blacksmith shop..........They must have been illicit gun runners!!!

yep slide barrel and frame

really, when you think about it, i'm not sure this measure is going to go anywhere anyway.

first, there's the question of just exactly how they are going to "mark" the firearms.  they can't be alter-able.  they have to be permanent, no wearing off.

second, what then?  do you record the "mark" with the name/address/ssn/etc. of the purchaser?  what good would that do?  

third, how will they know it was obtained "illicitly?"  just because it carries the "mark"?

what's scary is not the marking.  what's scary is all the other crap they'd have to do to make the marks worthwhile.  registration. prohibit private sales.  just because a marked gun ends up in the hands of a guerilla doesn't mean it was obtained illegally.  more than likely it was, but it isn't proof that it was.  and a host of other stuff.  that's what scares me.

First, this is about the fifth thread on this already, old news.

Second, if you read all the articles about it, American manufacturers and those who import into the US already do exactly what is being asked.  No big deal.

I really do not see how they can enforce this anayway's. if i had to go through to get a hunting rifle like i did to get a machine gun that's when they can shove it, I can understand
fully automatic's but regular hunting rifle's and simi's hell no. But i see it comming to this
where you have to get fingerprinted and get a CLEO signoff and picture's sent to  the feds for approval i see this coming just for a regular hunting rifle.

Don't you mean 'sniper' rifle.