I repeatedly hear anti-gun groups, particularly presidential candidates, say gun manufacturers should be held legally liable when their products are used in murders and other atrocities. If this is just a back-door attempt to shut the gun makers down, I get it, but if they think there is an actual legal precedent for this, I'm baffled.
My question is NOT whether guns are good or bad, or whether some types of guns should be outlawed or not. Those are entirely different issues. The fact is, gun makers are (for the time being) making LEGAL products, just like Ford, General Electric, and yes, even the cigarette makers. Until their products are declared illegal, they are legal.
Gun makers make their guns and sell them ONLY to military, law enforcement, and federally licensed firearms dealers. I'm sure all are regularly audited by ATF to ensure their guns are properly accounted for. If any of these approved outlets drop the ball and KNOWINGLY sell guns to individuals who are not legally allowed to own guns, then, yes, THEY should be held liable, but not the manufacturer.
Even if a legally eligible buyer went into a gun store and asked to buy 10 or 50 or 100 or more guns, and the federally licensed gun dealer sold them no-questions-asked, then yes, I can see there being possible liability. That should have been an obvious red flag that deserved further investigation.
Likewise, if a gun manufacturer were to suddenly fill an order for 1,000 guns from some little (federally licensed) hole-in-the-wall gun store in Bugtussle, Alabama, a store that historically orders 200 guns a year, then yes, red flags should go up. To just let it slide unquestioned might bring possible liability.
But to hold a manufacturer liable for a murder where the gun used was bought from a guy in an alley who got it from a druggie who stole it in a home burglary after it was legally bought from a federally licensed firearms dealer is absurd!
Any candidate who follows this line of (non) reasoning is just demonstrating to me they will say anything a crowd wants to hear in order to pick up a few votes. That, or they are just flat out stupid and couldn't possibly handle the office they were running for.
I wish candidates, of all flavors, would just treat us as intelligent voters who can see through their obvious vote pandering. *sigh*
S
