jueves, 24 de septiembre de 2009

NO a las armas, nucleares y no

Naciones Unidas, 24 Sep (Notimex).- El presidente de México, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, llamó a la comunidad internacional a avanzar no sólo hacia la no proliferación de armas nucleares, sino a un desarme general y completo; pues "ese es el único camino".
Ante los integrantes del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas, presidido en esta ocasión por el presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, el mandatario mexicano subrayó que la paz y la seguridad mundial no pueden construirse sobre la acumulación de armas nucleares.
Llama Calderón en ONU a desarme completo, que incluya armas pequeñas
Consideró urgente un tratado sobre el tráfico de estos artefactos, causa de mil muertes al día en el mundo.
Notimex Publicado: 24/09/2009 10:09
Nueva York. El presidente de México, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, llamó a la comunidad internacional a avanzar no sólo hacia la no proliferación de armas nucleares, sino a un desarme general y completo; pues "ese es el único camino".
Ante los integrantes del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas, presidido en esta ocasión por el presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, el mandatario mexicano subrayó que la paz y la seguridad mundial no pueden construirse sobre la acumulación de armas nucleares.
Además, reflexionó en torno a la proliferación de las armas de tipo convencional, en el entendido de que el tráfico de armas pequeñas y ligeras causan unas mil muertes y tres mil heridos cada día en el mundo.
En este sentido exhortó a los miembros del Consejo de Seguridad a buscar fórmulas para frenar este ilícito, y consideró "urgente" la negociación de un Tratado sobre Comercio de Armas en el seno de las Naciones Unidas.
En la sesión del debate sobre desarme y no proliferación nucleares, el Ejecutivo federal destacó que Estados Unidos y Rusia controlan casi 90 por ciento de las casi 25 mil ojivas nucleares existentes y consideró que el objetivo último debe ser la total eliminación de las armas nucleares.
A nombre de México, el jefe de Estado expresó su beneplácito por la decisión de Estados Unidos para ratificar el Tratado de Prohibición Completa de Ensayos Nucleares.
Subrayó que esta decisión y la disposición para revisar esquemas de disuasión planteadas en el pasado reciente "son ejemplo que debe animar a otros países a tomar el mismo camino".
Calderón Hinojosa dijo que no se puede aceptar la parálisis de las negociaciones multilaterales en el seno de la Conferencia de Desarme, pues "llegó la hora de actuar".
Indicó que el proyecto de resolución que se negocia en esta sesión debe ser el inicio de un nuevo movimiento a favor del desarme, pues cada vez son más los Estados que han desarrollado armas nucleares o que tienen la capacidad para producirlas, ignorando los anhelos de la humanidad.
El presidente de México sostuvo que la seguridad del planeta se debilita en la medida en que aumenta el número de poseedores de tales armas.
Aclaró que México apoya el derecho de todo Estado a beneficiarse del uso pacífico de la energía nuclear, siempre y cuando esté bajo la supervisión de organismos internacionales, como el de energía atómica, representado en esta sesión.
Añadió que la energía nuclear representa una oportunidad para el desarrollo sustentable, pero sólo a través del uso pacífico de esa energía se puede evitar que quienes codician armas nucleares abandonen sus intenciones de poseerlas y usarlas.
¿Cinismo? Como quiera que sea, un gran negocio está en juego:

America armed, but guns not necessarily loaded

AP – In a Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 photo, Michael Mayer explains the various types of ammunition for handguns …
By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer Mary Foster, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 23, 2:51 pm ET
NEW ORLEANS – Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can't keep up with the nation's demand for ammunition.
Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation — even though nothing specific has been proposed and the president last month signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.
Gun sales spiked when it became clear Obama would be elected a year ago and purchases continued to rise in his first few months of office. The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System reported that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were issued from January to May, an increase of 25.6 percent from the same period the year before.
"That is going to cause an upswing in ammunition sales," said Larry Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association representing about 5,000 members. "Without bullets a gun is just a paper weight."
The shortage for sportsmen is different than the scarcity of ammo for some police forces earlier this year, a dearth fueled by an increase in ammo use by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We are working overtime and still can't keep up with the demand," said Al Russo, spokesman for North Carolina-based Remington Arms Company, which makes bullets for rifles, handguns and shotguns. "We've had to add a fourth shift and go 24-7. It's a phenomenon that I have not seen before in my 30 years in the business."
Americans usually buy about 7 billion rounds of ammunition a year, according to the National Rifle Association. In the past year, that figure has jumped to about 9 billion rounds, said NRA spokeswoman Vickie Cieplak.
Jason Gregory, who manages Gretna Gun Works just outside of New Orleans, has been building his personal supply of ammunition for months. His goal is to have at least 1,000 rounds for each of his 25 weapons.
"I call it the Obama effect," said Gregory, 37, of Terrytown, La. "It always happens when the Democrats get in office. It happened with Clinton and Obama is even stronger for gun control. Ammunition will be the first step, so I'm stocking up while I can."
So far, the new administration nor Congress has not been markedly antigun. Obama has said he respects Second Amendment rights, but favors "common sense" on gun laws. Still, worries about what could happen persist.
Demand has been so heavy at some Walmarts, a limit was imposed on the amount of ammo customers can buy. The cutoff varies according to caliber and store location, but sometimes as little as one box — or 50 bullets — is allowed.
At Barnwood Arms in Ripon, Calif., sales manager Dallas Jett said some of the shortages have leveled off, but 45-caliber rounds are still hard to find.
"We've been in business for 32 years and I've been here for 10 and we've never seen anything like it," Jett said. "Coming out of Christmas everything started to dry up and it was that way all through the spring and summer.
Nationwide, distributors are scrambling to fill orders from retailers.
"We used to be able to order 50 or 60 cases and get them in three or four days easy, it was never an issue," said Vic Grechniw of Florida Ammo Traders, a distributor in Tampa, Fla. "Now you are really lucky if you can get one case a month. It just isn't there because the demand is way up."
A case contains 500 or 1,000 bullets.
At Jefferson Gun Outlet and Range in Metairie just west of New Orleans, owner Mike Mayer is worried individuals are going to start buying by the case.
"If someone wants to shoot on the weekend you have to worry about having the ammunition for them. And I know some people aren't buying to use it at the range, they're taking it home and hoarding it."
With demand, prices have also risen.
"Used to be gold, but now lead is the most expensive metal," said Donald Richards, 37, who was stocking up at the Jefferson store. "And worth every penny."