Democrats Introduce Bill Allowing Gun Crime Victims to Sue Firearm Makers

Numerous House Democrats and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are sponsoring legislation to allow victims of gun crime to sue firearm manufacturers.

The bill, titled Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, is specifically aimed at repealing 2005’s Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).

PLCAA is designed to protect gun makers from lawsuits in cases where the the gun was legally made and sold. The Democrats’ push would open manufacturers to suits whether a firearm used in the commission of a crime met these two thresholds or not.

The Denver Post reports that Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) are two of the House sponsors of the bill, and that gun control proponent Gabby Giffords stood with Schiff as the bill was introduced.

Giffords was shot January 8, 2011, by a man who legally purchased a legally manufactured handgun. In other words, he passed a background check to acquire a firearm that was both lawful in the U.S., and was made lawfully.

Under the Democrats’ bill, Giffords could sue the maker the of that firearm for criminal acts of the man who shot her.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.