Despite strong opposition from Congress and their constituents, Secretary of State John Kerry has vowed the United States will sign the United Nations Small Arms Trade Treaty, giving the international body unprecedented reach into gun regulation. Sixty countries have already added signatures to the treaty and Kerry plans to do the same.



Kerry, releasing a written statement as the U.N. treaty opened for signature Monday, said the U.S. "welcomes" the next phase for the treaty, which the U.N. General Assembly approved on April 2.



"We look forward to signing it as soon as the process of conforming the official translations is completed satisfactorily," he said. Kerry called the treaty "an important contribution to efforts to stem the illicit trade in conventional weapons, which fuels conflict, empowers violent extremists, and contributes to violations of human rights."



There is good news, however. The chances of this thing getting ratified are pretty much zero.

