Russ Feingold: “Illegally traded small arms and light weapons are cheap and readily available in many areas of the world. These weapons…”

“Illegally traded small arms and light weapons are cheap and readily available in many areas of the world. These weapons contribute to instability and violence in developing regions, creating fertile breeding grounds for rogue actors, undisciplined militias, and even terrorists. Confronting the threat of global terrorism requires a multifaceted approach which should include efforts to curb the illegal small arms trade while promoting programs that destroy surplus and obsolete weapons so they are taken out of circulation world-wide. The M-16 and the AK-47, both automatic rifles, and shoulder launched surface-to-air missiles, called Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS, are the most commonly traded weapons in the estimated $1 billion a year illegal arms trade. I am not talking about legal and vetted government to government transfers; I am talking about the illicit arms trade that results in these weapons ending up, frequently, in the most lawless regions of the world and in places where they could be used to attack U.S. troops. I have just returned from a trip to Africa, where I saw firsthand the devastating toll these weapons have had in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, as well as in northern Uganda. The eastern part of DRC, despite that country's successful election last summer, is rife with instability and small arms are the weapons of choice. I saw how they are used to destabilize communities and how they wreak havoc on innocent civilians.”