NY could try to sue gun manufacturers under bill
New York’s attorney general could sue gun manufacturers under certain scenarios under a bill that passed the state Senate on Tuesday as lawmakers continued wrapping up this year’s legislative session.
Gun manufacturers could, for instance, face a lawsuit for harming the public by failing to take steps to prevent firearms from being sold unlawfully in New York. A gun manufacturer would not have to purposely harm the public to be held liable, under the bill sponsored by Sen. Brian Benjamin, a Democrat.
Supporters say the bill addresses deadly gun violence that disproportionately affects minority neighborhoods, as well as people who were hurt or killed unintentionally by the firearm industry’s failure to implement safety mechanisms. Anyone responsible for the “illegal or unreasonable sale, manufacture, distribution, importing or marketing of firearms” could be held responsible for causing a “public nuisance,” according to the bill.