E x-N.J. cops hurt in shootout oppose protection for gun makers
Friday, January 31, 2003
BY J. SCOTT ORR
STAR-LEDGER WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- A pair of former Orange police officers who were wounded in a bloody 2001 shoot-out urged Congress yesterday to resist pressure from the gun lobby to exempt gun manufacturers and dealers from civil liability when their products are used to commit crimes.
Ken McGuire and David Lemongello said the legislation would deny them the right to sue a West Virginia pawn shop that sold the weapon and Sturm Ruger & Co., the maker of the 9mm handgun used to shoot the two.
"All we ask is for our day in court," Lemongello, a security manager, said during a morning Capitol Hill news conference with gun control activists and victims of gun violence who are seeking to recover damages in similar legal actions.
"Congress shouldn't let reckless dealers and manufacturers off the hook. I am calling on Congress to protect my right to seek justice," he said.
"Don't let the gun industry have special protections under the law," added McGuire, a Rutgers University student.
The National Rifle Association has called such lawsuits an abuse of the court system.
McGuire and Lemongello were wounded during a shoot-out Jan. 12, 2001, as they pursued a suspect at an Orange service station that had been robbed repeatedly. The suspect, who was killed in the gun battle, used a handgun that was one of 12 guns purchased in West Virginia by a now-jailed gun trafficker.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said the pending legislation, which had 49 Senate sponsors and 232 House sponsors last year, would exempt gun makers and sellers from the same liability standards that apply to the makers of other products.
"Don't give legal immunity to the firearms industry; they want to take away the legal right to go to court," Reed said. New Jersey's Democratic Sens. Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg also oppose the measure.
Sarah Brady, chairwoman of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said many Americans have sued gun manufacturers and dealers when their products were used in crimes. One such lawsuit has been filed by some of the victims and survivors of last fall's Washington, D.C.-area sniper attacks.
"The gun lobby wants to shut the courthouse door to victims of gun violence. Shame on any legislator who sponsors this dangerous special-interest legislation," she said.
The National Rifle Association has made the exemption its top legislative priority. It accused anti-gun activists of trying to exploit the D.C. sniper killings to promote their agenda.
"The gun-ban lobby would expand its harassment campaign against law-abiding gun makers to include trying to exploit last year's string of murders and attempted murders in the Washington, D.C., area," the NRA said in a statement.
"Frivolous suits such as this are both a shameless abuse of the courts and an attempt to circumvent the legislative process," the statement said. "...Fortunately, the courts continue to reject the absurd notion that gun makers should be held responsible when criminals use firearms to commit criminal acts."
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1043998346120650.xml
:banghead:
Friday, January 31, 2003
BY J. SCOTT ORR
STAR-LEDGER WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- A pair of former Orange police officers who were wounded in a bloody 2001 shoot-out urged Congress yesterday to resist pressure from the gun lobby to exempt gun manufacturers and dealers from civil liability when their products are used to commit crimes.
Ken McGuire and David Lemongello said the legislation would deny them the right to sue a West Virginia pawn shop that sold the weapon and Sturm Ruger & Co., the maker of the 9mm handgun used to shoot the two.
"All we ask is for our day in court," Lemongello, a security manager, said during a morning Capitol Hill news conference with gun control activists and victims of gun violence who are seeking to recover damages in similar legal actions.
"Congress shouldn't let reckless dealers and manufacturers off the hook. I am calling on Congress to protect my right to seek justice," he said.
"Don't let the gun industry have special protections under the law," added McGuire, a Rutgers University student.
The National Rifle Association has called such lawsuits an abuse of the court system.
McGuire and Lemongello were wounded during a shoot-out Jan. 12, 2001, as they pursued a suspect at an Orange service station that had been robbed repeatedly. The suspect, who was killed in the gun battle, used a handgun that was one of 12 guns purchased in West Virginia by a now-jailed gun trafficker.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said the pending legislation, which had 49 Senate sponsors and 232 House sponsors last year, would exempt gun makers and sellers from the same liability standards that apply to the makers of other products.
"Don't give legal immunity to the firearms industry; they want to take away the legal right to go to court," Reed said. New Jersey's Democratic Sens. Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg also oppose the measure.
Sarah Brady, chairwoman of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said many Americans have sued gun manufacturers and dealers when their products were used in crimes. One such lawsuit has been filed by some of the victims and survivors of last fall's Washington, D.C.-area sniper attacks.
"The gun lobby wants to shut the courthouse door to victims of gun violence. Shame on any legislator who sponsors this dangerous special-interest legislation," she said.
The National Rifle Association has made the exemption its top legislative priority. It accused anti-gun activists of trying to exploit the D.C. sniper killings to promote their agenda.
"The gun-ban lobby would expand its harassment campaign against law-abiding gun makers to include trying to exploit last year's string of murders and attempted murders in the Washington, D.C., area," the NRA said in a statement.
"Frivolous suits such as this are both a shameless abuse of the courts and an attempt to circumvent the legislative process," the statement said. "...Fortunately, the courts continue to reject the absurd notion that gun makers should be held responsible when criminals use firearms to commit criminal acts."
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1043998346120650.xml
:banghead:
And I'm a LEO!!