The United Nations is beginning two weeks of talks over the international trade in illegal conventional weapons.  The last round of talks were scuttled by the U.S. and Russia, the world’s largest arms exporters.

This time, U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry claims his country is committed to reaching an accord "that helps address the adverse effects of the international arms trade on global peace and stability" by helping to stem the illicit flow of weapons across borders.

But Kerry also says any such treaty must respect the American “Right to Bear Arms”, which is a matter of much debate after a series of massacres lat year, including an episode in which a gunman murdered 20 young children and 6 adults at an elementary school in Connecticut.

The diplomats are considering a draft that does not control the domestic use of weapons in any country.  But it would require all countries to establish national regulations to prevent weapons from flowing to areas under arms embargos.