Why is the US against the UN Arms Trade Treaty?

The United Nations voted to create an international treaty to control the arms trade. The United States was one of the few countries that voted against the measure. Why would we be against stopping the illegal sale of guns and other light weapons?

A news story came out a couple of days later that could explain the United States’ position. Thousands of weapons that we presumably provided to the Iraqi security forces are missing. The Defense Department didn’t even bother to record the serial number of most of them.

In other words, we have no way of determining if we sold the weapons used to kill our people in Iraq. Or if someone in Iraq is reselling the arms to Sudan or Pakistan. Or if Al-Qaida is buying them to use in their next attack. And we have no interest in finding out.

The military contractors make their money. The arms dealers make their money. They give lots of money to the politicians. Why mess with a great scam?