NEW YORK – New York may try to sue gun manufacturers for damage caused by these products thanks to new legislation signed Tuesday by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The new law comes at a time when New York City is facing an increase in shootings. In general, violence is well below the all-time highs of the 1990s, or even in the New York of the early 2000s.
But the Democrat-led Legislature has lobbied to pass several firearm control measures this year, including legislation that would prohibit the sale, purchase or transfer of firearms to anyone with a pending court order for a crime. serious.
The federal Law for the Protection of the Legal Trade in Arms of 2005 granted arms manufacturers immunity from lawsuits related to the misuse of their products. Supporters of the New York bill argue that gun manufacturers can still be held liable if they violate other laws pertaining to the sale or trade of firearms.
“Plain and simple, this was a federal overreach to protect the firearms industry in every way possible,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “But today, New York State took an important step to correct that mistake and protect its citizens from gun violence.”
However, it is unclear whether that argument will survive being challenged in court.
James said she is “ready to defend” the law, which, for example, would allow her or a locality to sue firearms manufacturers for harming the public by failing to take steps to prevent firearms from being sold illegally. In New York.
