Firearms Manufacturers Win NYC Appeal

A federal appeals court ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against firearms manufacturers by the City of New York that sought to hold the manufacturers responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms.

Judge Robert Miner stated that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, enacted in 2005, is constitutional, indicating that federal judge Jack B. Weinstein misinterpreted the law by not dismissing the case.

Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for NSSF, said, “In passing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, Congress understood that frivolous lawsuits like New York City’s defied common sense and represented a clear abuse of the judicial system that threatened to bankrupt a responsible and law-abiding industry.”

The ruling was seen as a major setback for gun-control groups, especially the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which pursued many of the municipal suits against the industry.