After failure to pass an acceptable version of this treaty in July 2012 and within hours of securing his re-election, President Obama ordered the US United Nations delegation to vote in favor of a UN proposal to renegotiate a global Arms Trade Treaty.
The UN ATT effectively creates a global registry of private ownership of firearms and abrogates the sovereignty of the US congress in making decisions to transfer arms to friendly forces during times of crisis. Although the US delegation previously stated that "we will not accept any treaty that infringes on the constitutional rights of our citizens to bear arms", UN member states regularly argue that no treaty controlling the transfer of arms internationally can be effective without controls on transfers inside member states.