While in New York for the General Assembly, Secretary of State John Kerry signed a U.N. treaty on arms regulation, in a move that some lawmakers vowed to not ratify in the Senate, Fox News reported.
Kerry called the treaty a "significant step," which addressed the international sales of illegal guns. He also said it would protect gun rights. The secretary of state announced earlier in the year that the administration was set to sign the treaty.
"This is about keeping weapons out of the hands of terrorists and rogue actors. This is about reducing the risk of international transfers of conventional arms that will be used to carry out the world's worst crimes. This is about keeping Americans safe and keeping America strong," Kerry said.
Some members of the Senate said the treaty may lead to new gun control measures.
Bob Corker, the Republican Tennesee Senator, had urged President Obama not take any action to implement the treaty without the Senate's consent, adding that it raises "fundamental issues [concerning] Individual rights protected by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution."
130 members of Congress urged Obama and Kerry to reject the measure, in a letter written to them this summer.
When signing the document, Kerry reiterated that "this treaty will not diminish anyone's freedom. In fact, the treaty recongnizes the freedom of both invididuals and states to obtain, possess and use arms for legitimate purposes."
The treaty requires countries that ratify it to establish "national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms and components and to regulate arms brokers, but it will not explicitly control the domestic use of weapons in any country," Fox News also reported.
The Coalition Arms Coalition includes hundreds of non-governmental organizations in more than 100 countries promoting an Arms Trade Treaty. The group noted that 500,000 people are killed by armed violence each year, so passage of the treaty will mean that "history will be made... to protect millions living in daily fear of armed violence and at risk of rape, assault, displacement and death."
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said on Wednesday that he welcomed every signature to the "important" treaty.
"It is of particular significance that the largest arms exporting country in the world, the United States, is now also among those countries who have committed themselves to a global regulation of the arms trade," Ban continued. "This will contribute to efforts to reduce insecurity and suffering for people on all continents"
