Is there a Gun Registry 'scheme' interwoven in the U.N. Arms Treaty?

Secretary of State John Kerry signed an international treaty on arms regulation Wednesday, angering conservative lawmakers and rattling the National Rifle Association despite claims that the treaty won't infringe on gun rights. 

So what's all the fuss about? 

The treaty, which took seven years to negotiate, would regulate the $70 billion global trade in conventional arms. The U.S. is the largest arms exporter in the world, and Kerry's signature was seen as a significant step in pushing it forward.

Supporters say the treaty sends a bold global message advocating the first-ever moral standards on the cross-border trade linked to human rights violations around the world. But to some on U.S. soil, the treaty treads into dangerous territory and could step on the constitutional rights of Americans. 

They point in part to language, at the very beginning of the document, that includes "small arms and light weapons" and worry this could cover firearms owned by Americans.

According to the treaty, the international sale of weapons would be linked to the human rights records of buyers; it requires the countries that sign on to establish regulations for selling weapons. This has raised concern that the treaty could be used as an excuse to push new gun laws. 

But the treaty also advocates keeping data of arms purchases, which the NRA and other groups say could be used as an international log to keep tabs on gun owners.

The record-keeping section in the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) encourages members to "maintain records of conventional arms covered under Article 2," which include battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, warships and small arms and light weapons. 

Further, those records should be kept for a minimum of 10 years, the treaty states -- which NRA leader Wayne LaPierre has referred to as "nothing more than gun registration by a different name."

Because the treaty's language is so broad, LaPierre has said that "manufacturers of civilian shotguns would have to comply with the same regulatory process as a manufacturer of military attack helicopters."

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