Urge Congress to Block New Landmine Production

The Bush administration is undermining many of the positive steps the United States has taken in the past 15 years toward getting rid of antipersonnel landmines. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Bush administration is making plans to begin production of a new generation of antipersonnel mines. Click here to write a letter to Congress urging them to block new landmine production: http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=8012591.

The United States government will decide by December 2005 whether to begin production of a new generation of antipersonnel mine system called “Spider.” The U.S. Army has spent $135 million since 1999 developing Spider and the first units are scheduled to be produced in March 2007. The Pentagon has also requested a total of $1.3 billion between 2005-2011 for development and production of yet another new antipersonnel mine called the “Intelligent Munitions System,” with a full production decision expected in 2008.

This initiative would erase many of the positive steps the United States has taken in the past toward banning antipersonnel mines. While the United States has not signed the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, it has not used antipersonnel mines since the Gulf War in 1991, it has had a prohibition on exports of antipersonnel mines since 1992, and the last antipersonnel mines rolled off U.S. production lines in 1997.

The administration often does not use the word “landmines” when referring to these weapons, but all three have features that appear to allow victim-activation. Any weapon, whether the government calls a landmine or not, that is detonated by a victim should not be used by any government. Any weapon that cannot tell the difference between the foot of a child and a boot of a soldier has no place in U.S. military strategy. Research and development on or production of mines or munitions capable of being victim-activated should be immediately halted.

Act Now!
The Senate could stop these weapons from being produced. Use our web site to email or fax a letter to your senators today urging them to find a way to stop the production of these indiscriminate weapons by clicking here: http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=8012591

Tell your senators you are disappointed that the U.S. is contemplating new production of landmines. Tell them that the vision of 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. The U.S. should halt production of all victim-activated weapons, whether the government calls it a landmine or not.

Please take the time to personalize the sample letter that we provide and tell your senators who you are and why you care about this issue.

For addition background on new antipersonnel mine systems see Human Rights Watch’s report “Back in Business: U.S. landmine production and exports.” http://hrw.org/backgrounder/arms/arms0805/

US Campaign to Ban Landmines
c/o Friends Committee on National Legislation
245 2nd Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: (202) 547-6000
Fax: (202) 547-6019
Email: landmines@fcnl.org

To make an online donation to the US Campaign to Ban Landmines, go to www.banminesusa.org/support/body.html