Editorial Staff Congress has passed a bill that will
protect gun makers and sellers from
being sued by those seeking to make
them liable for the misuse of guns or for
those used in the commission of a
crime. The bill passed the House of
Representatives by a vote of 283 to 144
and the Senate 65 to 31.
Georgia's lawmakers voted across
party lines with Democrats largely supporting
the measure in the House.
House of Representatives - Affirmative:
John Barrow
Nathaniel Deal
Phil Gingrey
Jack Kingston
John Linder
Jim Marshall
Charlie Norwood
Tom Price
David Scott
Lynn A. Westmoreland
House of Representatives - Negative:
Sanford Bishop
Cynthia McKinney
John Lewis
Senate:
John H. "Johnny" Isackson (R) - yes
C. Saxby Chambliss (R) - yes
The bill was introduced in an effort
to stem the tide of lawsuits staring in the
early 1990's filed by individuals and
cities seeking damages against the
firearms industry for deaths and injuries
caused by guns.
Under the direction of then Mayor
Bill Campbell, the City of Atlanta was one
of the first municipalities to file a lawsuit
naming all gun manufacturers for
malfeasance for not taking precautions
to make citizens safe against the misusage
of guns. The Atlanta suit was subsequently
dropped prior to going to
court.
Georgia is one of 30 states with legislation
to protect the firearms industry
against civil actions arising from the use
of guns.
President Bush is a strong advocate
for the bill and has said that the bill will
rein in what he calls frivolous suits that "cause a logjam in America's courts,
harm America's small businesses, and
benefit a handful of lawyers at the
expense of victims and consumers.
New York City, Cleveland, Ohio, and
Washington D.C. among others all have
cases currently pending against the
firearms industry. Passage of the Bill will
undoubtedly adversely affect these proceedings.
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