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Part Four. Article 7 645the Ad Hoc Committee, many participants suggested a period of record-keeping “for aslong as possible and for a minimum of ten years”, recognizing that firearms were durablegoods (see A/AC.254/L.86, para. 17).2. The version of this article contained in document A/AC.254/4/Add.2/Rev.1remained unchanged in the intermediate drafts of the protocol (A/AC.254/4/Add.2/Revs.2and 3).Seventh session: 17-28 January 2000Rolling text (A/AC.254/4/Add.2/Rev.4)“Article 8“Record-keeping 13“Each State Party shall ensure the maintenance, for not less than ten years, ofinformation in relation to firearms [, their parts and components and [, as appropriate,]14 ammunition] 15 that is necessary to trace and identify those firearms which areillicitly manufactured or trafficked and to prevent and detect such activities [withinits jurisdiction]. 16 The information shall [may] 17 include:“(a)The appropriate markings applied at the time of manufacture;“(b) In cases involving international transactions [in firearms, their parts andcomponents and ammunition], 15 the issuance and expiration dates of the appropriatelicences or authorizations, the country of export, the country of import, the transitcountries where appropriate and the final recipient and the description and quantityof the articles.”Eleventh session: 2-28 October 2000Notes by the Secretariat3. Delegations based their comments on the text of article 8 of the revised draftprotocol contained in document A/AC.254/4/Add.2/Rev.5, which was the same as thatcontained in document A/AC.254/4/Add.2/Rev.4.13The text of this article was proposed at the seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee by Canada (see A/AC.254/L.129)and was adopted with several amendments for purposes of further discussion.14Proposed by Italy at the seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee to accommodate the concerns of some delegationswho had expressed difficulty with the inclusion of ammunition. Some delegations argued that keeping records of ammunitiontransfers was an important element of the draft protocol. Other delegations expressed concern about the implications,notably the marking of ammunition, which was seen as impracticable.15Proposed by the United States at the seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee.16Proposed by China at the seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee. Some delegations supported the proposal becauseit added flexibility, while others opposed it as weakening the record-keeping requirement.17At the seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee, China proposed replacing the word “shall” with the word “may”.