Gary, Indiana’s Frivolous Anti-Gun Lawsuits are Back
The city of Gary, Indiana has tried nothing to fix their crime problem, and they’re all out of ideas!
Twenty-two years ago, during Bill Clinton’s second term, the bright bulbs of the anti-gun world decided that the best way to get rid of guns was to sue gun manufacturers out of existence. The lawsuits had nothing to do with whether the guns worked (they did), or whether the manufacturer had done anything wrong in selling them to distributors (they hadn’t). The lawsuits were literally about trying to hold gun makers responsible for the behavior of criminals. At the time, the slogan was “If guns cause crime, then spoons made Rosie O’ Donnell fat.” (Remember Rosie O’Donnell? No? Lucky.)
It didn’t work out so well for them, probably because it was stupid.
The City of Gary, Ind., first filed their claims in 1999, after 40 big city mayors conspired through the U.S. Conference of Mayors with gun control activist lawyers for claims of public nuisance and other crime-related injuries. New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, then serving as President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, organized dozens of local housing authorities to bring lawsuits against gunmakers and threatened the industry with “death by a thousand cuts.”
Cases were dismissed, including those brought by the cities of New Orleans, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston.
The claims brought by the City of Gary have been dismissed three times, only to be revived. The State of Indiana, in 2001, passed a statute to stop such frivolous lawsuits. From 2009-2015, the City did nothing to pursue its claims in court. In 2015, Indiana extended its law to apply retroactively to Aug. 26, 1999, days before the City of Gary filed its claims.
What do you do when your stupid plan failed? Double down on the stupid, of course!
As of right now, the city of Gary is trying it again. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry trade association, strongly criticized the City this effort to revive its lawsuit against firearm manufacturers. This frivolous suit seeks to hold members of the firearm industry legally responsible for the harm caused to the city by the actions of criminals who misuse firearms.
“The decision by elected officials in the City of Gary to try to breathe life back into this junk lawsuit after failing for two decades to litigate its case is unfathomable,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “The city has ignored the basic tenets of enforcing law and holding criminals accountable for their misdeeds. Instead, they’ve chosen to squander citizen tax dollars to pursue baseless claims that have been repeatedly thrown out of court in similar cases when municipalities attempted lawsuit abuse tactics. The firearm industry has been proactive and responsible in preventing the criminal and negligent misuse of firearms. The same cannot be said of the City of Gary.”
“On behalf of the entire firearm industry, NSSF calls upon the State of Indiana to immediately take the lawful steps necessary to end this lawsuit abuse by the City of Gary,” said Keane. “The future of the Second Amendment is at stake in the Hoosier State.”
How about a lawsuit for “wrongful death and property loss” against politicians of ALL stripes who write laws that do just that to its citizens. Everything from abused taxes & spending, to “takings” by restricting uses of private property, to special perqs to Congress (oh nooo!). Those things impact citizens as much as another “other mugger” with a weapon.
TWO THUMBS UP, WE CAN ONLY HOPE FOR SANITY IN A MEDIA HYPE RELIGION THAT HAS TAKEN OVER
20 years sound like a slick lawyer has found a retirement plan from city
At this point, NSSF should pull together a coalition of manufacturers and distributors to counter-sue the City of Gary.
Great idea. But what could they possibly take from Gary that had any value? Can’t get blood out of a turnip.
This is the plan.
From my cold, dead hands.
It will take a massive force of Blue helmeted UN troops to take the. Guns from the American people. There will be. Such mass casualties it will destroy the entire U.S. The only thing of value left will be our farm lands but, there will be no farmers.
Fortunately, reticle black contrasts nicely with UN Blue.
Stupid is as stupid does! I guess next they’ll try and hold the car manufacturer’s liable when someone is killed in an auto accident, whether preventable or not. Sorry, you just can’t fix stupid>
Don’t know haven’t researched it, but Ibet Gary is run by “Demoncrats!”
As a former Hoosier born and raised, MOST of us avoid that cesspool of a city..
It’s gone to the dogs, or rather, the gangs.
The problem is the people, not guns.
But then, that’s the problem everywhere, isn’t it?
The act to cause our Revolutionary war to begin (the shot heard around the world) was NOT about taxes – it was when the Red coats came for our guns. “Those that don’t know history are doomed to repeat it!!
On a side note, I grew up in Chicago – we use to saying “the only thing that goes through Gary at night by itself that isn’t afraid is a BULLET”
The City of Gary should spend their money on police instead of this lawsuit and lawyers.
Perhaps , the best defense would be to point out Gary’s failure in combating crime.
If countersuits were allowed in order to recover frivolous lawsuits costs, this would all come to an abrupt halt.
Exactly!
When the Supreme Court decides the case dealing with warrant less searches and seizures of guns as is currently pending before them the 4th Amendment will be dead as will our rights to possess a gun! Dems will then pursue with wanton abandon every gun owner on earth having already described them as “enemies of the state” in order to take every gun ever made. The rest is just noise.
Damm I love being an “‘ enemy of the state”.
Let’s sue the Automakers and Alcohol distributers for DUI deaths while we’re at it!
There already is a federal law which protects all manufacturers from being sued. Firearms are one of them.
Yes there is but uncle joe binladen want to remove that from the gun industry