Ethics Newsline®

WASHINGTON
The gun industry is expected to win sweeping immunity from civil lawsuits under bills pending in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, which have tilted pro-gun after the 2004 elections, according to press reports last week.

Identical bills in both houses would block all litigation seeking to hold gun manufacturers, dealers, and sellers responsible for gun violence or negligent practices, reported Law.com.

Similar legislation died last year, but supporters say the 2004 elections ushered in a more conservative, pro-gun group of lawmakers that likely will be able to push the measures through.

Critics say this year’s version is more sweeping than previous iterations, banning not only all “qualified civil liability actions” but also any “administrative proceeding” — wording that some say will strip the federal government’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives of much of its right to prosecute the industry.

In the Senate, the bill is sponsored by National Rifle Association board member Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), who told the Reuters news agency that he expects to pass the law without amendments such as a ban on assault weapons.

The bills are expected to be passed within the next two weeks, according to Reuters.

Although 33 cities and counties have filed 23 lawsuits against the industry, all but four have been dismissed or withdrawn and none has actually gone to trial, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.