Gun manufacturers, and our 2nd Amendment rights, suffered a major blow on Thursday April 14, 2016. A Connecticut judge ruled that a lawsuit against Remington Arms can movee forward in spite of the fact that a federal law enacted in 2005 specifically protects gun businesses from civil lawsuits. A superior court judge denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that is being brought against the manufacturers of the weapons used in the 2012 Sandy Hook shootings.
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The 2005 federal law that is being ignored is known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA for short. It’s a federal law that provides gun businesses and manufacturers general immunity from civil lawsuits. This particular case is the families of the Sandy Hook Shootings Vs. Remington Arms, the distributor and manufacturer of the rifle used in the attack. The suit aims to hold the arms manufacturer responsible for the actions of the individual, Adam Lanza, that committed this atrocity.
Deciding to move this case forward and ignore the sanctions set out in the PLCAA sets a dangerous precedent. It allows the individuals that commit these crimes against society to shirk responsibility for their actions. It allows companies to become scapegoats and ignores the real motivation and issues that cause these attacks. This ruling could create a slippery slope that causes any company that manufactures a product to become liable for the actions of mentally deranged individuals who misuse the products the company creates.
Many gun owners will not be surprised to see that the case revolves around the sale of the popular semi-automatic rifle, the AR-15. The weapon is commonly mislabeled as a “military grade firearm” despite its versatility and many practical uses, such as target shooting and hunting. What may surprise some gun owners is that, rather than going after the weapon itself, liberals have turned their sights on the manufacturers.
This creates a double-standard of epic proportions, with firearm manufacturers and sellers being added to the victim count of these mass shootings. While legislators are pursuing firearms dealers fast food restaurants are free of blame from clogging arteries and fueling the obesity epidemic in America, motorcycle manufacturers are not responsible for injuries sustained in car accidents, and extreme sports athletes don’t bear the burden of people that didn’t heed their warning “don’t try this at home”.
All parties involved in the case are due back in court on Tuesday to resume the trial. This case could be a landmark case not only for our second amendment rights but any Constitutional right that can be whittled away with illogical arguments.
Do you feel that we are losing our grip on our second amendment rights? Sound off in the comment section below!
