http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/11378503.htm
Another spring brings yet another dangerous attempt by Congress to shield
gun-makers and dealers from negligence lawsuits.
Similar special-interest legal immunity for arms manufacturers went down in
flames a year ago - as should this attempt.
The 2004 bill was just as much a gift to the industry as proposed now. But
its authors were directed by the National Rifle Association to sink it when
two sensible gun-safety measures were added.
Chief sponsor Sen. Larry E. Craig (R., Idaho) scuttled his own creation
rather than permit renewal of the life-saving assault-weapons ban or mandate
background checks at all gun shows. Those troubling priorities remain in
place: Citizens' safety takes a backseat to protecting gun-makers.
Lawmakers leading the charge are emboldened by their recent victory in
imposing strict limits on class-action lawsuits over consumer, health and
discrimination claims.
Craig says his measure - cloaked innocuously as the Protection of Lawful
Commerce in Arms Act - merely seeks to stem frivolous lawsuits against
gun-makers. More likely, the proposal will protect the industry from
accounting for its deepest failings: Gun manufacturers have done too little
to stop rogue dealers from selling weapons that get into the hands of
criminals.
This region is awash in illegal handguns used in dozens of killings plaguing
the streets of Philadelphia and Camden. Blame a handful of gun dealers who
make sales to buyers who front for gun traffickers.
Even with ample testimony that gun-makers have been lax, gun victims have
had a hard time making such claims stick in court. The only successful
lawsuit has been the $2.5 million settlement against Bushmaster Firearms
Inc., of Maine, and a Tacoma, Wash., gun dealer on behalf of victims of the
Washington, D.C.-area snipers. So it's hardly as if the industry is
besieged.
Craig's immunity bill would scuttle similar claims, and more. Legal experts
contend the measure would cripple law enforcement efforts to root out
gun-trafficking dealers. After that, what incentive would be left for
gun-makers to police illegal sales or develop safer weapons?
No other industry enjoys the legal immunity proposed for gun-makers. In its
ads fighting this misguided measure, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence cleverly culls a quote from President Bush who, during the Terri
Schiavo case, vowed to "err on the side of life." By granting gun-makers
immunity, Congress would err on the side of death.
Another spring brings yet another dangerous attempt by Congress to shield
gun-makers and dealers from negligence lawsuits.
Similar special-interest legal immunity for arms manufacturers went down in
flames a year ago - as should this attempt.
The 2004 bill was just as much a gift to the industry as proposed now. But
its authors were directed by the National Rifle Association to sink it when
two sensible gun-safety measures were added.
Chief sponsor Sen. Larry E. Craig (R., Idaho) scuttled his own creation
rather than permit renewal of the life-saving assault-weapons ban or mandate
background checks at all gun shows. Those troubling priorities remain in
place: Citizens' safety takes a backseat to protecting gun-makers.
Lawmakers leading the charge are emboldened by their recent victory in
imposing strict limits on class-action lawsuits over consumer, health and
discrimination claims.
Craig says his measure - cloaked innocuously as the Protection of Lawful
Commerce in Arms Act - merely seeks to stem frivolous lawsuits against
gun-makers. More likely, the proposal will protect the industry from
accounting for its deepest failings: Gun manufacturers have done too little
to stop rogue dealers from selling weapons that get into the hands of
criminals.
This region is awash in illegal handguns used in dozens of killings plaguing
the streets of Philadelphia and Camden. Blame a handful of gun dealers who
make sales to buyers who front for gun traffickers.
Even with ample testimony that gun-makers have been lax, gun victims have
had a hard time making such claims stick in court. The only successful
lawsuit has been the $2.5 million settlement against Bushmaster Firearms
Inc., of Maine, and a Tacoma, Wash., gun dealer on behalf of victims of the
Washington, D.C.-area snipers. So it's hardly as if the industry is
besieged.
Craig's immunity bill would scuttle similar claims, and more. Legal experts
contend the measure would cripple law enforcement efforts to root out
gun-trafficking dealers. After that, what incentive would be left for
gun-makers to police illegal sales or develop safer weapons?
No other industry enjoys the legal immunity proposed for gun-makers. In its
ads fighting this misguided measure, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence cleverly culls a quote from President Bush who, during the Terri
Schiavo case, vowed to "err on the side of life." By granting gun-makers
immunity, Congress would err on the side of death.
