Statement of Dennis Henigan, Brady Center on Judge's Ruling in Gun

[WAGCEVP]

Statement of Dennis Henigan, Brady Center on Judge's Ruling in Gun
Violence Case

Press Release
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
1225 Eye Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-898-0792

Washington, DC - The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence released the
following statement by Dennis Henigan, Director of its Legal Action
Project, in response to the ruling today by Judge Jack Weinstein in the
case brought by the NAACP against the gun industry:

"Today's decision offers a clear and compelling indictment of the gun
industry. There can no longer be any doubt that the gun industry ensures
the continued supply of a robust underground gun market. Just as polluters
create a public nuisance by dumping hazardous wastes into our waterways,
the gun industry pollutes our cities with illegal guns. Gun makers know
their dealers fuel the illegal market and have made a deliberate decision
to supply corrupt dealers to profit from guns headed to the streets.

"This decision was based, in large part, on the first courtroom testimony
given by industry whistleblower Robert Ricker, a former gun industry trade
association leader. Mr. Ricker first approached the Brady Center two years
ago, offering to share his inside knowledge of the gun industry's
deliberate strategy to do nothing to curb the conduct of rogue gun
dealers. This ruling is a tribute to Bob Ricker's courage and
determination to have the truth be told.

"Although we regret that Judge Weinstein did not grant the NAACP the
relief it sought, the gun industry can take no consolation in this result.
Ironically, the relief was denied because the Court found that all
Americans share the same kind of grievous injuries from gun industry
misconduct suffered by the NAACP and its members. The gun industry should
not be proud that it was able to escape judgment in this case because its
victims include us all.

"Judge Weinstein's ruling will bolster other lawsuits against the gun
industry by gun violence victims and urban municipalities. It will,
however, also intensify the gun industry's effort to pressure the U.S.
Senate into passing S.659, granting the industry unprecedented special
protection from lawsuits. The gun industry knows it cannot tolerate the
evidence of its complicity in the illegal gun market to be presented to
courts. The American people, however, must not permit Congress to give
this industry protection from legal accountability that the courts are
unwilling to provide."

Much of the evidence of the gun industry's misconduct is presented in a
report issued by the Brady Center entitled "Smoking Guns: Exposing the Gun
Industry's Complicity in the Illegal Gun Market."
www.gunlawsuits.org/features/reports/
Date of Release: July 21, 2003

 

[tyme]

[blockquote]Judge Weinstein's ruling will bolster other lawsuits against the gun industry by gun violence victims and urban municipalities.[/blockquote]
Oh yes, those other lawsuits that are all failing, most miserably?
[blockquote]It will, however, also intensify the gun industry's effort to pressure the U.S.
Senate into passing S.659, granting the industry unprecedented special protection from lawsuits.[/blockquote]
Special protection that is not needed with other products because only guns seem to cause most people's/judges'/jurors' reasoning abilities to evaporate.

 

[RVSinOK]

Gun makers know their dealers fuel the illegal market....

Just like GM "fuels" the stolen car market, right?

Sheesh!

 

[Standing Wolf]

Just as polluters create a public nuisance by dumping hazardous wastes into our waterways, the gun industry pollutes our cities with illegal guns.

Yeah, and General Motors fuels the drunken driving problem, too. Leftists are such nitwits!

 

[GSB]

Leftists are such nitwits!

No, unfortunately these people are not nitwits. The Million Moron brigade that follows them may be nitwits, but these people are excellent propagandists. They know how to manipulate public opinion by shading, distorting, omitting, and outright fabricating "facts", and they know that most people will never make any effort to verify those "facts" -- they will simply believe it for the sake of "the children".

No, these people are not nitwits. They are some of the most dangerously clever people we have in this country right now. Terrorists will never destroy this country, but this anti-Freedom, anti-Constitution, anti-Liberty Axis has a good shot at doing exactly that from the inside.

 

[hso]

"Just as polluters create a public nuisance by dumping hazardous wastes into our waterways, the gun industry pollutes our cities with illegal guns."

Hmmm, let's see. If Major Chemical Manufacturing, Inc. makes a hazardous chemical used by scores of other manufactueres in their business and Enduser Product Inc. willfully dumps that chemical into the environment in clear violation of environmental regulations. EPA cites Enduser Product Inc. for the violation of environmental regulations and DOJ possibly charges the officers of the company with a criminal violation of the law and the officers are jailed/tried/convicted/sent to prison. The individuals harmed by the dumping sue Enduser Inc. and it's officers for the damage to their health and property. Enduser Inc. is required to pay for the remediation of the dumping. At no point does anyone go to MCM and say you're responsible for what EP willfully did with the product you produce.

If they're going to use analogies to illustrate a point then they should at least use analogies less obviously wrong.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Actually, it was a solid strategic move by the grabbers. The jury had already said the gun industry wasn't responsible (despite the testimony of supposed "smoking gun" witness Robert Ricker, former lobbyist for NSSF).

NSSF expected the judge to rule them liable anyway and then get overturned on appeal. They were prepared for it.

The judge outfoxed them by declaring them a public nuisance in his opinion and then ruling against the claim. Since they won the claim, they can't appeal it and now it is on record as part of a Federal court judicial opinion that the gun industry is a public nuisance.

The grabbers wil use this opinion to support future attacks via frivolous lawsuit on the industry.