Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 (Landmines)
Urge your Senator to Cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian
Protection Act of 2007
Like landmines, cluster munitions are weapons that keep on killing.
While the U.S. has not used antipersonnel landmines since 1991, it has
used cluster munitions (sometimes referred to as cluster bombs) in
recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Former Yugoslavia, with
often disastrous consequences for civilian populations. A cluster
munition consists of a canister designed to open in mid-air and disperse
smaller submunitions, often referred to as bomblets or grenades. While
they are designed to explode on impact, many of the submunitions
initially fail to detonate, leaving behind large numbers of hazardous
explosive "duds" that are akin to landmines. These "duds" injure and
kill civilians and contaminate the land long after conflicts end. For
example, the cluster bombs the U.S. dropped 40 years ago in Cambodia,
Laos, and Vietnam are still killing people today. These bomblets are
found while farmers sow their fields, when they fall from tree canopies,
or when they are disturbed by children walking along paths. In some
cases the bomblets, which often resemble toys, pose an even greater
danger than left-behind landmines.
The Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 (S. 594), recently
introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Patrick Leahy (VT),
would ban the use of cluster bombs in or near civilian areas and
prohibit the use, sale, and transfer of almost the entire existing U.S.
arsenal of cluster bombs. A prolific exporter of cluster munitions,
having sold them to at least 27 countries, and a frequent user, it is
time for the U.S. to ensure that cluster munitions neither harm
civilians indiscriminately during hostilities, nor continue to threaten
civilians long after conflict subsides.
Contact your Senator now, and urge them to cosponsor the Cluster
Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007.
Take Action Now
* View the Action Alert and email your Senators
* If you would rather make a phone call, you can call your
Senators at the Capitol switchboard at 202 / 224-3121. If you don't know
who your senators are, you can find out with your zip code here
Learn More About Cluster Munitions
The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines recently expanded its mission to
include advocacy toward a prohibition on the use, production, and
transfer of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. The
Campaign's website has been updated accordingly. On the site you can
find information on:
* Cluster Munitions and the issues they pose
* U.S. policy on cluster munitions
* COMING SOON: Solutions, Timeline of Use
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