Contact your senators and urge them to cosponsor S.3768

On August 1, Senators Patrick Leahy (VT) and Arlen Specter (PA) introduced the "Victim-activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006" (S.3768). This bill prohibits the United States from procuring  landmines and other victim-activated weapons under any circumstances. While not banning the use of landmines, Congressional adoption of this bill would constitute an essential step toward a total ban by enacting a legislative freeze of the production of landmines and other weapons that are set off by a victim.  It would halt the Bush administration’s plans to produce new antipersonnel mine systems, including the Spider system.

The U.S. is one of only thirteen countries left in the world that produce or reserve the right to produce antipersonnel mines. If this bill passes, the U.S. would be removed for that shameful list.  The world expects more from the U.S. and so do its citizens. Weapons that do not distinguish between combatants and civilians are inhumane, and should not be produced by the United States or any country.  It is long past time for the U.S. to join with the rest of the world and ban the procurement of these weapons.

TAKE ACTION
Contact your senators today and urge them to cosponsor S.3768.  Tell your senators that you believe the U.S. should be a leader on humanitarian issues, and not impeding progress. Tell them that it is time for the Congress to ban production of landmines or any other weapon that can be detonated by a victim.  A world free of the scourge of landmines will remain out of reach as long as the U.S. continues to reserve the right to produce these indiscriminate weapons.

 
To send an email or fax to your senators, go to: http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=8951251. You can also call your senator by dialing the capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

 
Sens. Dorgan (ND) and Harking (IA) have already cosponsored the bill. If you live in ND, IA, PA, VT, please let Sens. Specter, Leahy, Dorgan, and Harkin know how much you appreciate their work.  They need to know how much we appreciate their leadership.

LEARN MORE
For more information on S. 3768, go to: http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1995&issue_id=9