February
27, 2005---Nearly a year after anti-gun forces in the US Senate
scuttled a bill that would shield gun makers from frivolous lawsuits,
"The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" has
been introduced again.
The bill has been introduced in the Senate
by Senator Larry Craig, Republican of Idaho and Senator Max Baucus,
Democrat of Montana. In the Congress, a companion bill has been
introduced by Republican Representative Cliff Stearns of Florida
and Democrat Representative Rick Boucher of Virginia.
The two bills--S. 397 and H.R. 800--are
designed to stop the flood of lawsuits against gun manufacturers
for the criminal misuse of their products. To date, no lawsuit
filed against gun manufacturers has won. (Bushmaster reached an
agreement in court in order to avoid legal costs that would have
gone far beyond what the company's insurance would cover).
The aim of these lawsuits is not to reduce
crime, but rather to try to bankrupt the gun industry through
legal expenses. It is telling that attorneys for the plaintiffs
in these lawsuits are hired by the most notorious anti-gun groups
in the country.
33 states have enacted laws to prohibit
such lawsuits against gun manufacturers. However, that leaves
17 states where anti-gun groups are able to shop around for sympathetic
judges.
The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms
Act would put a stop to lawsuits such as those that have been
filed in New York, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans and elsewhere.
The bill has the support of a wide-reaching
number of organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Associaton
of Wholesalers, gun rights groups, unions, wildlife conservation
groups, and more.
President Bush has publicly stated his
support for the bill, and was ready to sign it last year. However,
the bill died in the Senate on March 2nd of last year, when Senators
Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, and John Kerry voted
to add a number of anti-gun amendments to the bill that made the
bill completely unacceptable to gun rights advocates. (See 3/2/04
John Kerry shows his true colors on guns).
Gun owners are encouraged to contact their
senators and congressmen, and urge them to support The Protection
of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and to vote against adding anti-gun
amendments designed to once again kill the bill.
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