A representative for Second Amendment Foundation slams the suit, stating that the blame is being placed on the wrong shoulders.
With President Joe Biden still working on an “assault weapons” ban, some states are taking issues surrounding gun violence into their own hands. But some might be a little too drastic on the topic.
Right before the Christmas break, the city of Buffalo filed a “first of its kind” lawsuit against gun manufacturers and sellers blaming them for the increase in gun violence in 2022. “Members of our community have suffered too much and for too long from gun violence. We must do everything we can to decrease gun violence. Enabling the possession of illegal guns destroys lives and deeply effects our neighborhoods, especially in Black and Brown communities,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in a statement.
The suit targets“distributors and other local gun shops” along with manufacturers, believing that their actions have irresponsibly led to an increase in active shooter events and other acts of gun violence.
That said, however, some gun rights activists believe that this is nothing more than a “junk lawsuit,” a cheap means for the city to blame its inability to control gun violence on them.
“This is no different from the frivolous and unsuccessful lawsuits filed against firearm manufacturers in the late 1990s and early 2000s by crime-ridden big-city mayors across the country,” said Larry Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “Those lawsuits failed because they were legally and factually baseless. But they did, however, result in Congress passing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005 by a wide bipartisan margin.”
A representative of the Second Amendment Foundation joins us now to discuss the lawsuit, and why Buffalo doesn’t really have a leg to stand on with it.
Q&A:
- What do you think of the basis for this lawsuit is? The fact that the Supreme Court turned over New York’s strict gun laws earlier this year? The shooting that took place at a Buffalo grocery store over the course of the summer?
- Do you think the lawsuit has any sort of validity at all? Especially with such generic terms and no specifics provided in terms of what guns were used for certain shooting events?
- The City of Buffalo states that they aren’t specifically going after private gun owners, but doesn’t a lawsuit of this stature still seem like a violation of their rights? Especially if the city is victorious in winning damage from gun manufacturers and distributors?
- Could other cities possibly follow a similar example and attempt legal recourse against gun manufacturers?
- Instead of focusing on a lawsuit, what should Buffalo be doing differently to combat increasing gun violence within their city? Why do you believe they’re not taking action in this?
- Where can we learn more about the Second Amendment Foundation and its members?
- Those interested can visit http://www.saf.org/.
Second Amendment Foundation spokespersons available to be your guest:
ABOUT CHRIS CHENG (In Pacific Time)
Chris Cheng serves on the advisory council to the Second Amendment Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He is the History Channel’s Top Shot Season 4 Champion and author of the book “Shoot to Win.” Cheng is an Asian D&I advocate in the gun community, a former Google employee who went from self-taught amateur to pro shooter.
ABOUT CAM EDWARDS (In Eastern Time)
Cam Edwards is the editor at Bearing Arms-dot-com and hosts the popular podcast Cam & Company that focuses on Second Amendment news and information. Cam is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has worked in radio, television, and online media for over two decades. He currently lives on a small farm with his family near Farmville, Virginia, and is a member of the board of Citizens Committee to Keep and Bear Arms.
ABOUT MARK WALTERS (in Eastern Time):
Mark Walters is a member of the board of directors for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. As a nationally syndicated host of two talk radio programs, Armed American Radio and Armed American Radio’s Daily Defense, Mark is heard on hundreds of stations weekly across the country. Mark is the co-founder of Armed American News and the recipient of the 2015 “Gun Rights Defender of the Year award.” In addition, Mark Walters is co-author of three books, including Lessons from Armed America, Lessons from Unarmed America, and Grilling While Armed.
ABOUT LEE WILLIAMS (In Eastern Time)
Lee Williams is also known as The Gun Writer and has been writing about the Second Amendment, firearms, the firearms industry, and the gun culture for more than ten years. He is the Chief Editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Reporting Project and is a frequent contributor to Ammoland News and Armed American Radio. In addition, Lee serves as a board member of Florida Carry, Inc. He was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming a newspaper editor, Lee was an investigative reporter in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. Lee has earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter and three medals of valor as a police officer.
ABOUT DAVE WORKMAN (In Pacific Time):
Dave Workman is an award-winning career journalist and senior editor of TheGunMag.com. He writes for Liberty Park Press, Conservative Firing Line, and is communications director for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. He has authored Op-Ed pieces in several major newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and co-authored seven books with Second Amendment Foundation Alan Gottlieb. Workman’s beat is firearms, from politics to the outdoors. He is widely considered an authority on firearms, concealed carry, and gun politics.
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing, and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 700,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
CONTACT: To schedule an interview, contact Jerry McGlothlin of Special Guests PR Agency at 919-437-0001 or jerry.specialguests@gmail.com
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