Legionnaire
Contributing Member
Lawsuit Target Practice
October 20, 2005; Page A14
Congress is back in town, and it's starting with a bang. As one of its first items of business, the House plans today to pass a bill protecting gun makers from frivolous lawsuits.
Gun manufacturers have been hit with more than 25 liability suits filed by states, cities and counties. The plaintiffs claim the companies should be held responsible for crimes committed with their products -- as if the guns forced people to fire them -- a remarkable twist on the concept of personal responsibility that all too many judges have been willing to take seriously. This summer, New York federal Judge Jack Weinstein tried to speed up the court dates in a high-profile case against Beretta, perhaps in the hope of issuing a verdict before legislation passed.
The proposal has the added benefit of ending attempts by gun-control lobbyists to legislate via the courtroom. Their policy goal is to persuade judges to impose the sort of "remedies" on gun makers that Congress would not, such as trigger locks or restrictions on sales. Along the way, they also hope that the cost of defending against the suits will drive gun makers into bankruptcy.
Liberals have adopted this lawsuit strategy because they have discovered the hard way that gun control is a political loser. The "assault weapons" ban expired without a political whimper last year, and John Kerry barely mentioned the subject. As for gun liability, the Senate passed its version in July with a filibuster-proof 65 votes, while the House version has 257 co-sponsors. A majority is 218. Bull's-eye.
[Wall Street Journal: October 20, 2005; Page A14]
October 20, 2005; Page A14
Congress is back in town, and it's starting with a bang. As one of its first items of business, the House plans today to pass a bill protecting gun makers from frivolous lawsuits.
Gun manufacturers have been hit with more than 25 liability suits filed by states, cities and counties. The plaintiffs claim the companies should be held responsible for crimes committed with their products -- as if the guns forced people to fire them -- a remarkable twist on the concept of personal responsibility that all too many judges have been willing to take seriously. This summer, New York federal Judge Jack Weinstein tried to speed up the court dates in a high-profile case against Beretta, perhaps in the hope of issuing a verdict before legislation passed.
The proposal has the added benefit of ending attempts by gun-control lobbyists to legislate via the courtroom. Their policy goal is to persuade judges to impose the sort of "remedies" on gun makers that Congress would not, such as trigger locks or restrictions on sales. Along the way, they also hope that the cost of defending against the suits will drive gun makers into bankruptcy.
Liberals have adopted this lawsuit strategy because they have discovered the hard way that gun control is a political loser. The "assault weapons" ban expired without a political whimper last year, and John Kerry barely mentioned the subject. As for gun liability, the Senate passed its version in July with a filibuster-proof 65 votes, while the House version has 257 co-sponsors. A majority is 218. Bull's-eye.
[Wall Street Journal: October 20, 2005; Page A14]