In a show of bipartisan support for the rule of law, and a rejection of the anti-gun agenda of reckless lawsuits against firearm manufacturers, the U.S. Senate defeated an amendment, introduced by Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) that sought to deny gun makers equal protection under our nation's bankruptcy laws. His legislation was defeated on a 68 - 29 vote on Wednesday. Levin's attack on the firearms industry was yet another attempt to assist in crushing gun makers under the relentless pressure of costly, frivolous litigation. Proponents of these suits have freely admitted that the civil courts are being used solely to pressure gun makers and dealers into changing their business practices -- practices that are already strictly regulated by countless federal, state, and local laws. While NRA-ILA continues to promote legislation prohibiting reckless lawsuits (14 states thus far have enacted reckless lawsuit preemption legislation), and courts continue to reject such suits (judges in Connecticut, Florida, and Ohio have thrown out reckless suits filed by municipalities), the cost of defending themselves against unwarranted legal action is becoming a tremendous burden on the firearms industry.
NRA-ILA Executive Director James Jay Baker hailed the vote, stating, "In its overwhelming rejection of Senator Levin's amendment, the Senate sent a clear, bipartisan message that we live in a nation of laws, and that gun makers are entitled to the same legal protections as every other lawful industry. There is no rational basis to exclude firearms companies from bankruptcy law, and to do so would be patently unfair." He went on to state that, "Offering this amendment is a thinly-veiled attempt to encourage junk lawsuits against the firearms industry." Even some anti-gun lawmakers were repelled by this naked attack on of our civil court system. U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), a self-proclaimed supporter of "gun control" legislation, stated on the Senate floor that the Levin amendment "would establish a dangerous new precedent in our Bankruptcy Code, and it would unfairly discriminate against an entire category of companies...." Mr. Baker went on in his remarks to thank Senators Lieberman, Larry Craig (R-Id.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), and Bob Smith (R-N.H.) for their leadership roles in defeating the Levin amendment.
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