Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot considering suing gun makers.

[AndyS]

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she is being encouraged to “sue the hell out of” gun manufacturers, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. And she “hinted strongly she plans to oblige, though the odds are long and the legal paths narrow.”

“I don’t want to tip my hand here. [But] we are looking at every possibility to make sure these manufacturers understand the magnitude of the damage that is being done in cities like Chicago,” Lightfoot said before the newspaper’s editorial board.

https://www.wbez.org/stories/the-rundown-lightfoot-weighs-suing-gun-manufacturers/35e5bfda-4df9-4d9b-a192-951bb9389fcc

Elsewhere in the original article (a wide ranging discussion of government and police accountability) Mayor Lightfoot said:

“It’s gonna be very difficult because, unfortunately, the gun lobby locked up Congress and there’s very narrow exceptions in which a gun manufacturer can be sued. But I’m not leaving anything on the table. We’ve got to look at every option. … If we can’t control the number of guns that are coming across our border — if there is no accountability for gun manufacturers — we are gonna be constantly fighting a losing battle.”

As the mother of a 14-year-old daughter, Lightfoot said she “knows what hormones are” and “what impulse control or lack thereof” is all about.

“These kids with access to guns is the worst thing ever because they’re juveniles. … Putting a gun into a volatile situation with a juvenile with a brain that isn’t fully matured, you’re asking for trouble,” she said.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/3/10/22971431/chicago-violent-crime-lightfoot-brown-police-department

It's beginning. Thanks to the parents of Sandy Hook who would not stand down because it was hard, it's beginning. They paved the way, now it's our turn. The Gun Vultures are not invincible. We can do this!

[HAB911]

1. about damn time

[North Shore Chicago]

2. My Mayor!

Go Lori Go!

[Chainfire]

3. Hopefully she can get Billy McBride on her team. ;)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Go for it, Mayor Lightfoot!

Let's run these bastards right over a cliff!

[USALiberal]

5. How is it the gun company at fault? Nt

[Amishman]

6. The better question is on what grounds

The suits are only a good idea if they stand a decent chance at winning under current law.

Going after a manufacturer who continues to knowingly do business with retailers who turn a blind eye to straw purchases would be an example of a good suit.

Trying to hold them generally liable for gun violence in Chicago is likely going to go nowhere and be counterproductive.

Remember the Sandy Hook suit that was settled was over Remington's marketing practices. It was not direct responsibility for the shooting.

[AndyS]

8. Yeah and water isn't wet . . .

It was shown to be a contributing factor to the point that Remington should have taken steps to mitigate the danger.

[AndyS]

7. Well, now that you asked . . .

Gun makers have been shown (Sandy Hook vs Remington) to market their product recklessly to a vulnerable market segment.

The Mexico vs gun makers suit will bear this out when it is settled.

Gun makers make no effort to control the distribution system down to individual stores. Just as the drug maker Perdue is being held accountable along with their distributors for selling product to obviously illegal pharmacies (one Walmart pharmacy took delivery of 600 doses of OxyContin/month for every person in their market area) gun makers willingly turn a blind eye to gun trafficking. Westforth Sports, Inc. in Gary, Indiana, is accused of gun trafficking into Chicago. Both instances of drugs and guns done with the tacit approval of the manufacturers.

The same is true of 'ghost gun manufacturers". 30% of crime guns recovered in CA are un-serialized and the manufactures show no responsibility for who buys or uses the weapons they make and sell. Kind of hard to regulate something with no serial number, manufacturer's name or other identifying marks but it's a good example of just how 'law abiding' and honorable gunners are.

So, yes there is more than adequate grounds to bring a civil suit on the grounds of creating a public nuisance.

Of course we can't ignore the 'law abiding gun owners' who 'lose??' guns and don't report them missing or carelessly leave them in cars and such. Not directly related to the gun maker but an indication of just how 'law abiding' gunners are.*

*personal anecdote: I know of one person who had 6 AR-15s stolen from his car in a shopping center parking lot. The car was not locked and the guns were in the back seat. He claimed the guns on his insurance. Not a bad scam, sell the guns, claim them stolen and collect insurance too! The local law enforcement made a point of acknowledging the unusual circumstances and though they couldn't prove a crime made it known that it shouldn't happen again if you get my drift.

[USALiberal]

10. Thanks for the info I appreciate it.

[Tickle]

9. It would force the SC to

accept the case this time for sure.

But the Sandy Hook families argued that their lawsuit fell under an exception to this federal immunity. Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act

The families claimed that Remington Arms “marketed, advertised and promoted the Bushmaster XM15-E2S for civilians to use to carry out offensive, military style combat missions against their perceived enemies.” They said that this marketing was unethical and therefore violated Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practices Act, which they argued is a state statute applicable to the marketing of a firearm.