NEWS RELEASE | |
| For Immediate Release Monday, November 16, 1998 | |
Chicago Gun Suit Off-
Target
"Where Will This Silly Lawsuit Parade Stop?"
|
Dallas - H. Sterling Burnett, a policy analyst with the Dallas-based National
Center for Policy Analysis, responded today to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's decision
to sue gun manufactures, distributors and licensed dealers for the health-costs associated
with gun violence saying, "Where will this silly lawsuit parade stop, suing Hershey's
for the cost of a root canal?" The $433 million lawsuit charges that 22 gun manufacturers, 4 distributors and
12 licensed dealers are creating a public nuisance by flooding the market with guns, which
stimulates demand. Chicago's attempt to prove a nuisance by over supply opens a new
chapter in tort law. New Orleans, which has already taken the gun industry to court, took
the more usual liability route - claiming the industry fails to provide adequate safety
features. "This entire trend of suing the industry for third party misuse is legally
and intellectually suspect," stated Burnett. "If Chicago's lawsuit succeeds, it will establish bad law and bad public policy.
It would establish bad law because it asks the courts to legislate and it would overturn
well-established legal precedence that manufacturers are not responsible for the criminal
misuse of their products. It would be bad public policy because guns prevent more harm
than they cause." Burnett noted that numerous studies have shown that citizens use guns in self-defense
between 800,000 and 3.6 million times annually (in the vast majority of cases, merely
showing the firearm prevents the crime), with the most comprehensive study estimating
more than 2.5 million defensive gun uses per year. That far exceeds the number of crimes
committed with firearms each year. Added Burnett: "It's a simple fact; guns don't cause crimes, criminals and
foolish gun control policies do."
The National Center for Policy Analysis is a public policy research
institute founded in 1983 and internationally known for its studies on public policy issues.
The NCPA is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an office in Washington, D.C.
Sean Tuffnell, Dallas, TX 972-386- 6272 Joan Kirby, Washington, DC 202-220-3082 Internet: http://www.ncpa.org Home | Support Us | All Issues | Social Security Debate Central | Contact Us |