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from the News Press of Atlantic City
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/njpolitics/042903LAUTENBERG_A29_3RD_4TH.html
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/njpolitics/042903LAUTENBERG_A29_3RD_4TH.html
April 29, 2003
Lautenberg will fight immunity for gun industry
By PETE MCALEER StateHouse Bureau, (609) 292-4935
CAMDEN - U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is gearing up for another battle with the National Rifle Association.
At a press conference outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Camden on Monday, Lauten-berg vowed to block a Senate bill that would shield gun makers and dealers from lawsuits.
The bill passed 285 to 140 in the House of Representatives earlier this month, with U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd and U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton, R-3rd, both voting in favor of it.
The bill is expected to make its way to the Senate floor soon.
With 53 senators already signed on in support of the measure, Lautenberg and others opposed are preparing to deliver a filibuster to prevent the bill from reaching the president's desk.
"I will do all I can to block it," Lautenberg said. "It is an unconscionable piece of legislation."
Camden City and Camden County governments both have pending suits against the gun industry that could be dismissed should the bill pass. Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison joined Lautenberg in condemning the bill, saying it "protects guns over people."
A recent Press of Atlantic City special report, however, revealed that Camden City and Camden County governments have traded in more than 250 guns once used by its law enforcement officers, allowing the weapons to go back on the street. After the report, New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey announced the state would destroy any weapons no longer in use.
No such policy exists at the federal level.
"It ought to be looked at," Lautenberg said when asked if he might consider legislation that prevented federal agencies from trading in their weapons.
The legislation might not move so quickly, however, in a federal system that has not passed a gun-safety measure since the Brady Bill in 1984.
The NRA is leading efforts to win the gun industry civil immunity. Its Web site includes a letter urging members to call their local U.S. senators and encourage them to promote the "reckless lawsuit preemption" bill.
NRA President Chris Cox said the bill seeks to end "malicious and predatory lawsuits aimed at bankrupting the firearms industry."
Opponents say gun victims deserve the chance to prove in court that manufacturers knowingly chose to avoid features that would make their products safer or harder for criminals to obtain.
"What we find now in Washington is an attitude that says we want to protect those who make products that are not safety responsible," Lautenberg said. "What the House of Representatives is saying is that no matter how reckless the gun industry acts, they will not be held accountable for their behavior. No other industry would enjoy such blanket immunity."
One of the lawsuits that could be barred, Lautenberg said, is a civil action filed by D.C. sniper-victims against the gun dealer where sniper suspect Lee Malvo - a minor - obtained his rifle. The gun shop, "Bulls-Eye" in Tacoma, Washington, claims it "lost" the rifle around the time Malvo was in the shop.
To e-mail Pete McAleer at The Press:
[email protected]
