| Anti's Vowing to Fight S.397 |
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| Written by Daniel White | |
| Saturday, 22 October 2005 | |
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As expected, anti-gun groups like the so-called Violence Policy Center are vowing to wage a legal battle against the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act." The measure, passed by both the U.S. House and Senate is expected to be signed into law by President Bush. The bill would offer protections to the firearms industry from being sued by criminal misuse of their products. "We think it's outrageous," Kristen Rand, legislative director of the Violence Policy Center, a gun-control group in Washington, told ISN Security on Friday. What is really outrageous is that the anti-gunners have decided that since they cannot legislate guns out of existence, they would try to bankrupt the industry by filing thousands of frivolous lawsuits. Even if won, these suits would collectively cost the gun industry hundreds of millions of dollars in lawyers fees. S.397 was strongly supported by pro-gun groups, including the NRA. By prohibiting these frivolous lawsuits, congress has protected not only the firearms industry from the surreptitious attacks of the anti-gunners, but avoided setting a dangerous precedent for attacks on other industries as well. Imagine the runaway lawsuits that would occur if auto manufacturers were to be sued whenever a drunk driver caused an accident. (Click 'READ MORE' to continue...) Dozens of cases across the country filed against gun manufacturers are expected to be dismissed once it is signed into law. "One abusive lawsuit filed in a single county could destroy a national industry and deny citizens nationwide the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed," said Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, a backer of the bill who is a Republican from Wisconsin. The anti's aren't going to give up just yet, however. "We do intend to challenge the law in any way we can," Zach Ragbourn, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, told ISN Security Watch. "We'll challenge its constitutionality." However, they seem to realize their efforts are doomed. "The NRA has an obsessed grassroots effort," lamented Rand of the Violence Policy Center told ISN Security Watch. "They hound Congress." What Rand really means is that the majority of Americans support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and see these lawsuits for what they really are: back door gun control. ISN Security Watch reports that the legislation got a much-needed boost earlier this year when during a debate in the Senate the Pentagon endorsed it on national-security grounds, saying the passage of S. 397 "would help safeguard our national security by limiting unnecessary lawsuits against an industry that plays a critical role in meeting the procurement needs of our men and women in uniform". It would seem that guns play a pivotal role in protecting not only individual citizens, but the entire country. |