Democrats move to make gun-makers liable for gun crimes

By Whitney Tipton

Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday to hold gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed with their products.

The measure, introduced in both the House and Senate, seeks to repeal legislation passed in 2005 that enacted litigation protections for the gunindustry, National Public Radio reported.

“Responsible actors in the gun industry don’t need this limitation on liability. And the irresponsible ones don’t deserve it,” California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said at a press conference Tuesday.

“All we’re doing through this proposal is giving victims of gun violence their day in court,” said Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, co-sponsor of the bill’s Senate version.

The NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation oppose the bill.

“It’s like blaming Ford or General Motors for the negligent use of their cars,” Lawrence Keane, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “It is wrong to hold the gun or any other industry liable for the criminal misuse of nondefective products sold lawfully.”

This isn’t the first time a measure to repeal liability protections for the gun industry has been pursued. Schiff’s first measure was introduced in 2013, and has been repeated at least twice since. None of the measures passed.

The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was passed in 2005 and former President George W. Bush signed, blocked civil actions against ammunition and firearm dealers, builders, or trade groups when a firearm is used to commit a crime.

Existing law hasn’t stopped victim advocates from trying to hold gun-makers responsible for gun crimes. Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled in March that Sandy Hook shooting victims’ families could sue Remington Arms. Remington is appealing the ruling.

“Every other industry has to pay punitive damages,” continued Blumenthal. “That will provide a powerful incentive as it has done in tobacco, in automobiles, in pharmaceutical drugs for safer products.”

The bill is called the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act.

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Image courtesy of Enoch Lai /Wikimedia Commons

10 thoughts on “Democrats move to make gun-makers liable for gun crimes

  1. Schifforbrains pandering to the circus of leftards who are disappointed
    they still have no legal dirt on the president after over 2 years of pizzing
    away taxpayer moneys over a hoax. The go to response is GUN GRABBING to
    get the heat of pencil necks failure at dinging Pres Trump. Maybe Shifforbrains
    should spend a month on the streets of Londonstan to see what happens in a
    Unarmed society.. Getting knife sliced a few times should change his perspective
    more then reminding him gun laws don’t work, just look to demotard controlled
    citys like chitcongo with the toughest laws that haven’t made ANY difference.`

    • One stupid kid in Fair Haven wants to shoot up the school, names who he will shoot, buys a shotgun, gets caught, no one hurt, found mentally disturbed, no punishment, just ‘treatment.!!” No crime, no record, That is his story.

      Now Governor signs law limiting law abiding citizens from their Constitutional Rights, 600,000 found guilty, no crime, no guilt, no court, peaceful law abiding citizens take it in the back of their head – – – all for a crime that didn’t happen, that was never prosecuted???

      Where is the sense of Justice, respect for law, and respect for law-abiding citizens of this State, and this Nation.

      Even killers with knives, and meat cleavers, Mental health walk away escapee shoots man 3 times.
      NO PROSECUTION, no punishment – back into the mental system where the VT Chief says her responsibility is not to law or crimes.

      • Governor did NOT sign this years gun grab. Thank God.

        He did sign last years bill as I described

  2. I guess that we will have to hold drug manufacturers, Pharmacy’s and doctors responsible for people overdosing on drugs or phone manufacturers for someone that was texting and caused an accident.
    Where do these idiots come up with these ideas?
    You never want to hold the person that committed the offense accountable. It’s always the objects fault.
    Wake up people and look around and especially look in the mirror where you’ll find where the real problem lies.

  3. Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday to hold gun manufacturers liable for
    crimes committed with their products, yup Stupid is ” Stupid Schiff “.

    So that means an auto accidents death resulting, the car manufacturers gets sued, what if the
    driver was drunk, or was texting ????? who do you sue ……this makes as much sense as the
    legislation from the “Dimwits ” !!

    Just like when a firearm is used in a crime or suicide, DemocRATs never want to put the blame
    on the perpetrators ….. don’t blame a Crook or a Crazy….blame the inanimate object? as it will
    fit your agenda

  4. These Democrats truly are Domestic Enemies – something about them in an oath I took for 25 years. They should know when I swore that oath I wasn’t kidding.

  5. But we do hold car makers responsible for unsafe vehicles. Guns should have safety features so only their owner(s) can use them; like my smart phone.

    • Anything you can design, James, I can bypass it. Apparently you’re not as smart as your phone.

    • Your ‘smart phone’ isn’t as ‘smart’ as you think – anything can be disabled – including your phone. Let’s try something revolutionary and hold criminals accountable. Then we won’t have to worry about ‘safety features’ for firearms.

    • The best most effective safety device,is the one every one should have and it’s located between ones two ears.

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