A group of mayors representing various cities around New York is calling on the state legislature to pass legislation that would open the door for civil lawsuits against gun makers.
In a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the mayors made their case.
“Our cities need this tool, and in the face of federal inaction on the issue, it is up to you, our state legislative leaders, to provide it,” the mayors wrote.
“We need accountability for the wrongs that have been committed ,and we need to incentivize a change in behavior to stem the flow of illegal guns. Pass this bill, help us save lives and serve as a model for the rest of the country,” they continued.
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Pat Fahy and Sen. Zellnor Myrie, the proposal would circumvent federal law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) that indemnifies gun manufacturers from being held liable for the criminal misuse of their products.
There’s a loophole in the PLCAA for violations of state law. Fahy and Myrie’s bill would exploit that loophole and expand New York’s public nuisance law to include gun companies that engage in “illegal” or “unreasonable conduct.” As the mayors explain:
This bill adds to New York’s public nuisance law, by making clear that gun companies that engage in illegal or unreasonable conduct are creating a public nuisance in the state and can be sued for it and also requires all gun companies who do business in New York to put in place reasonable safeguards to prevent their guns from ending up in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.
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“We have seen a heartbreaking and devastating uptick in gun violence across New York State, including in the Capital Region,” Assemblywoman Fahy said. “Local governments, law enforcement agencies and families of victims affected by gun violence need another tool in their arsenal in the fight to stop the flow of illegal guns into New York, and finally break the ‘Iron Pipeline.’ ”
GunsAmerica reached out to Alan Gottlieb, the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation for comment. Gottlieb didn’t mince words about the true aim of this legislation.
“This is another back door attempt to bankrupt firearms manufacturers by declaring guns a public nuisance and allowing frivolous lawsuits that cost millions of dollars to defend put them out of business,” he told GunsAmerica via email.
“If no guns are made they can’t be sold and the right to keep and bear arms is lost without passing a gun ban,” he added. “This is a sneak attack on the Second Amendment.”
The mayors along with the backers of the legislation are hoping to get it passed before the end of the legislative session on June 10. Stay tuned for updates.
A gun was never violent, gun violence is a misnomer. Criminals are violent not guns, these gun control morons sound about as dumb as calling hit and run deaths victims of car violence.
We have double digit cities that are LITERALLY RUINED! Cities like Chicago, NY, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Atlanta, LA, to name only a very small number of them. These places will never be safe , affordable, balanced places to live in my life time. Decades of democrat policies have wrecked them period. School systems are a mess, not a single kid in Baltimore or Philadelphia scored above 50% proficient in basic math/English. $17 billion a year school Budget in Baltimore and that’s what is being sent into our society every year. The people who propose such dumb ass ideas like this should be forced to live in the sanctuary cities they support without any armed security. Why is it that there are many more Guns in the suburban areas yet hardly any shootings? Why is it that EVERY SINGLE DAMM DAY/Night our Inner cities have dozens of shootings, and we go years without a single shooting in the surrounding areas? Why is it that certain groups are absolutely fine with having multiple kids with multiple females without thinking of how they would support the kids. It’s a cultural problem not a Gun problem. These issues will never begin to be resolved because anyone who attempts to speak truth immediately gets attacked and called a racist. It might be time to segregate. Meaning if you want to live Free, in a state that follows the constitution come on over. For those who want to go along with dumbass ideas, and allow politicians like these shit bags to have control go live in a blue state. Divide the country right down the middle, red on one side blue the other and we can stop playing games. No more blue state bailouts, no sanctuary cities on red states, no guns in blue states , Free to be a responsible American in red states. In a short period of time we all know what would happen. Blue states would look like Chicago with 100 shootings a weekend with failed schools and bankrupt businesses. Red states would thrive , low crime, prosperity all around . Only catch is that any and ALL those scum bag democrats like AOC, pelosi must live in the blue areas no exceptions. Fight for our country or we will look back one day and say why didn’t we fight harder.
When laws like this pass Gun manufacturers need to jack up the prices for law enforcement and the Government to offset court costs.
They could also just refuse to sell to either all together. They’ll think twice when the secret service is forced to carry hipoints to protect the president or the police are stuck carrying a belt with 10, 2 shot derringers.
Most people are missing the actual reason politicians are trying the disarm us. There is an undeniable correlation between disarmed populations and widespread abuses of human rights. Consider any contemporary nation state with an ugly human rights record and you will also find a disarmed populace. Gun control leads to human rights abuses and enables them. Gun rights are a vaccine against human rights abuses from politicians. A gun is a mechanical way to level the playing field against a violent threat with superior strength or numbers.
I guess next idiot Demon Rats will say that if you have a wreck in your vehicle that the manufacturer can be sued. Same difference. They have no logic.
So they sue gun manufacturers and then auto companies, airlines, fast food etc where does it stop with these idiots?
This tactic was already tried with Ruger 30 years ago and it did not work. Following the politician’s logic: ban sugar and there is no diabetes, ban cars and there are no traffic accidents, ban swimming pools, bath tubs and close the beaches to stop all drownings, bring back the Volstead Act and see what happens, ban all guns and there will be no crime or deaths, ban armies so there are no war (good luck). While you are at it, ban the basic 10 Commandments and all religions to stop its influence in government, ETC, ETC, ET AL, AD NAUSEAM, AD INFINITUM. We are already into IDIOCRACY just like the film of the same title. This would be a great country if it weren’t by the moronic 90% of its politicians, so ban politicians with a double digit IQ.
These mf’rs can suck it. I’m so fn tired of their crap. It’s a matter of time when this Country turns into a joe dirt sink hole. Stolen presidential election by none other than democrats and this mayor who definitely cheated on election day. I hope there’s some justice coming down on these democrats doing everything they can to shove all their crap down our throats constantly. If more people would stand up and use the most simple freedom we have to get off your ass and vote these brainless dickless communists out on the street where they belong. Hopefully, more audits of the election gaining traction in other states showing the obvious math of more votes cast than registered voters. The unbelievable impunity these turds have. It blows my mind. Just keep fighting it’s the only way gun owners are going maintain their firearms.
By this same reasoning, we should be able to sue the governor of a state that issues a driver license to an individual who completes the process to get a license, but later commits a crime while driving a vehicle, such as a DWI/DUI.
Before we can sue gun makers for things criminals do, we need to sue political parties for broken campaign promises. In less than a year both parties would be bankrupt and candidates would have to run as themselves. We should also be able to sue rich campaign donors for things they got. We need to be able to sue the Congress because they gave themselves better benefits than the people have and they depleted Social Security
I could support this idea IF:
1. We could sue politicians for promising and not delivering.
2. We could sue manufacturers in general for making unreliable products.
3. We could sue automakers for either changing or discontinuing a model of car we like.
4. We could sue Airlines for overbooking or changing flight times for no apparent reason.
5. We could sue anybody for anything we didn’t like…
But, realistically, we can’t. So why sue gunmakers for producing products that are safe to use as directed, work reliably, and generally have more safety features than the average car, television, or can opener.
So I still support the “Lawful Commerce” thing. Oh, and can I sue the toolmaker when the hammer hits my finger instead of the nail? Of course not…but try to tell the suckup politicians that…
I have a BETTER idea….. Allow Law Suits against POLITIANS for ALL of the Damage that they do screwing up our Lives….
Simple solution here. Stop selling firearms, firearms service, accessories and ammunition to all law enforcement agencies in New York. All-of-them. Might send a message….
Why not limit cops to the same magazines the rest of us have to use? OR declare that the standard magazine shipped with a specific firearm is the “Normal sized magazine” and thus make only truly oversized mags illegal?
Here is a thought on that. Now all those folks that are victims of illegal Police shootings can sue Glock etc for selling the gun to the NYPD. Few of those and nobody would sell to New York City! A crap law that would backfire right on that Mayor!
You just cant fix stupid.
why is Remington in NY?
leave and thay will change there mine when you close down there.
Yes exactly!
People don’t realize that people kill people, a gun needs a finger to pull it . Stop the public, from getting a gun, and the only person’s that are thugs will have a gun .
Politicians have no street smarts.
Next it will be knives, then cars , leave to your imagination. They do.
Hmm. You raise a point here: Fingers are used to discharge firearms. SO – make a law requiring all fingers to be serialized and registered. Hmm….there are some politicos who are stupid enough to want to do this, so a warning: SATIRE!
We also need to remember that WE are the people who put these idiots in power, so next voting day, use your finger for something more beneficial than voting “Party” and learn what these potential idiots actually stand for. Never trust any political Party to deliver as advertised, because you can bet they won’t.
Sneak attack my ass. It’s an all out open assault.
The anti-gun lunacy gets worse every year
That lunacy makes as much sense as suing GM or Ford because some ID 10 T chooses to drive drunk and kills someone. Politicians are clearly not working with Mensa class grey matter.
They should also sue Jack Daniels
NY sucks! I would never live there…. Mayor, if you hate GUNS so much then why do you have your DUMB ASS protected with them? Your life is not worth more then mine!!! I will protect my family at all cost. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people!! Cars don’t kill people, the unsafe driver kills people!! This could go on forever but I will not waste my time explaining it to IDIOTS!!!
He should be able to sue stupid mayors who make policies and laws that go against our Constitution . So I guess we buy all our arms from foreign nations like we are energy now and what if they decide they don’t want to sell us arms that’s a great position to be in