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Sportsman Outdoors

Challenging NY’s Gun Law!

By Jack Danchak
Posted 7/30/21

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) said it will challenge in court to overturn the law signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that would allow civil lawsuits by municipalities against …

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Sportsman Outdoors

Challenging NY’s Gun Law!

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The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) said it will challenge in court to overturn the law signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that would allow civil lawsuits by municipalities against the firearm industry for the criminal action by non-associated third parties.

Governor Cuomo recently signed a law that would allow municipalities to sue gun manufacturers over harm caused by the products they make. The NSSF says the law is in contravention to federal law, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act and the legal foundations of tort law.

The NSSF Senior Vice President Lawrence Keane said, “This law is unconstitutional, plain and simple. Governor Cuomo is rehashing a decades-old failed playbook that was rejected by courts in the 1900s and early 2000s. Cuomo is again blame shifting for his administration’s failures to prevent crime by pointing fingers at firearm manufacturers that have been working with federal, state and local authorities for real solutions.”

Keane went on to say, “This law is based on the same legal understanding that would allow victims of drunk drivers to sue Ford Motor Company and beer breweries such as Budweiser for the criminal actions of individuals. The law is not legal accountability, it is strictly political.”

Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency regarding gun violence, mainly in New York City. He also signed a series of executive orders that include freeing up state agencies to spend money more quickly on gun related programs, require police departments, including the NYPD, to collect more detailed shooting data, and form a special police unit to target gun trafficking. He also signed legislation that ban people with active warrants from buying guns.

The NSSF says targeting gun manufacturers is a worn-out myth that was discredited years ago.
New York Attorney General Letitia James told the Associated Press she is ready to defend the law, which would allow her or locality to sue gun manufacturers for harming the public by neglecting to take steps to prevent firearms from being sold unlawfully in the state of New York.

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio cautioned against NYPD data on shooting incidents being down 20 percent in June compared to a year ago.

There certainly is a controversy over NY gun laws. Many sportsmen and gun owners throughout the state are wishing the National Shooting Sports Foundation the best in their lawsuit.

Jack Danchak is a longtime sportsman and spent 30 years as the President of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.

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