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07-17-2003, 09:33 AM
Posted on Sun, May. 11, 2003
For gun industry, a special standing
Its influence in Washington has grown with Republican majorities. Now it may be on the verge of winning immunity from lawsuits.
By Dick Polman
Inquirer Staff Writer
The scar is a foot long, and runs from his chest to his navel. The nerve damage extends from his left shoulder to his left hand. The mental damage is also permanent, because each day he reflects on the night he was shot.
David Lemongello was a New Jersey police officer when he was gunned down in the city of Orange, and now he is suing a gun manufacturer and a West Virginia gun dealer, saying they negligently allowed the weapon to wind up in criminal hands.
But if the gun lobby succeeds in flexing its considerable muscle in the halls of Congress, the industry will soon win special protection from these kinds of lawsuits - a broad grant of immunity, unlike anything afforded to other industries.
The bill, passed by the House and sent to the Senate, would shield gun-makers from any liability for the criminal misuse of their products. And Lemongello, among others who contend that the industry turns a blind eye to the trafficking of illegal guns, would be barred at the courthouse door.
"The gun lobbyists are very powerful; they hold a lot of weight," said Lemongello, now the manager of security for a Manhattan perfume company. "I'm just looking for my day in court. It's just not right, what they're doing."
Fortunately for the gun industry, the party currently running Washington is hospitable to its needs; most of the 52 Senate sponsors are Republican, including Pennsylvania Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum. Just a few short years ago, the gun industry would not have dreamed of seeking broad immunity.
In 1999, after the Columbine shootings, and with Bill Clinton as president, the gun lobby was stuck on defense, struggling against efforts to toughen background checks at gun shows. But today, newly emboldened by the Republican majorities, the lobby is close to winning protection from most lawsuits, a historic achievement. With help from pro-gun Democrats, the House said yes on April 9, the Senate may say yes soon, and President Bush would sign it.
Gun industry officials say they have a right to defend themselves, and contend that the antigun movement is purposefully peppering the courts with cases in an attempt to financially bleed the industry.
More on Story (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/5832098.htm)
For gun industry, a special standing
Its influence in Washington has grown with Republican majorities. Now it may be on the verge of winning immunity from lawsuits.
By Dick Polman
Inquirer Staff Writer
The scar is a foot long, and runs from his chest to his navel. The nerve damage extends from his left shoulder to his left hand. The mental damage is also permanent, because each day he reflects on the night he was shot.
David Lemongello was a New Jersey police officer when he was gunned down in the city of Orange, and now he is suing a gun manufacturer and a West Virginia gun dealer, saying they negligently allowed the weapon to wind up in criminal hands.
But if the gun lobby succeeds in flexing its considerable muscle in the halls of Congress, the industry will soon win special protection from these kinds of lawsuits - a broad grant of immunity, unlike anything afforded to other industries.
The bill, passed by the House and sent to the Senate, would shield gun-makers from any liability for the criminal misuse of their products. And Lemongello, among others who contend that the industry turns a blind eye to the trafficking of illegal guns, would be barred at the courthouse door.
"The gun lobbyists are very powerful; they hold a lot of weight," said Lemongello, now the manager of security for a Manhattan perfume company. "I'm just looking for my day in court. It's just not right, what they're doing."
Fortunately for the gun industry, the party currently running Washington is hospitable to its needs; most of the 52 Senate sponsors are Republican, including Pennsylvania Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum. Just a few short years ago, the gun industry would not have dreamed of seeking broad immunity.
In 1999, after the Columbine shootings, and with Bill Clinton as president, the gun lobby was stuck on defense, struggling against efforts to toughen background checks at gun shows. But today, newly emboldened by the Republican majorities, the lobby is close to winning protection from most lawsuits, a historic achievement. With help from pro-gun Democrats, the House said yes on April 9, the Senate may say yes soon, and President Bush would sign it.
Gun industry officials say they have a right to defend themselves, and contend that the antigun movement is purposefully peppering the courts with cases in an attempt to financially bleed the industry.
More on Story (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/5832098.htm)