From the NRA:Congress to Vote Tomorrow on Bill (S. 397) to Protect Firearms ManufacturersThis Wednesday, October 19, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider S.397 the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," critical NRA-backed legislation to prevent the nation's firearms manufacturers from being held responsible for the acts of criminals. As you know, this legislation would protect makers and sellers of firearms and ammunition from lawsuits that blame them for the criminal or unlawful acts of others. The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed S. 397 in July, but that action was only the first step.
It's critical that we put a stop to these meritless, reckless lawsuits once and for all. The firearms industry has already spent a quarter of a billion dollars defending itself from these lawsuits designed to bankrupt them. With a major trial in one of these cases scheduled in just a few weeks, it is imperative that the U.S. House of Representatives pass S. 397 this week and send it to the President for his signature. This is our last and best opportunity to pass this critical, common sense legislation to protect the nation's firearms industry from these reckless lawsuits! If the anti-gun lobby succeeds in court, it could drive the firearms industry into bankruptcy or force changes in the way firearms and ammunition are sold.
Please immediately call your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121 and urge him/her to pass S. 397 (as passed by the Senate)! You can also find contact information for your elected officials by using the "Write Your Representatives" (
www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/) tool at
http://www.NRAILA.org. Please make your call today!
Please help us finish the job once and for all by contacting your U.S. Representative in Washington and urging him/her to pass S. 397.
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From SAF:ACTION ALERT: Stop Frivolous Lawsuits Against Firearms Industry Now!The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to take up S.397, the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, on Wednesday, October 19th. This bill that would prohibit lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors and dealers in firearms for unlawful acts committed by purchasers of those firearms. The purpose of these "nuisance" lawsuits is not to win a big award, but to bleed manufacturers and dealers dry with continuing legal costs, a "death of a thousand lawsuits." If this isn't stopped, within a few years there will be no gun manufacturers or dealers left.
S.397 passed the U.S. Senate in July on a 61-35 vote. A similar bill in the House has more than 250 co-sponsors. Due to minor differences in the bill, it is important that the House act on the Senate version of the bill, S.397. If a different version passed in the House, the bill would have to go to a conference committee and would likely die this year. Passage of S.397 (as passed by the Senate) will send the bill directly to President Bush for his signature. Enactment of this bill is critical if the American gun industry is to remain competitive.
Please call your U.S Representative at 202-225-3121 and ask him or her to vote in favor of S. 397 on Wednesday.
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From GOA:Trigger-lock measure assailed as 'gun tax'2nd-Amendment defenders warn of addition slipped into billSecond-Amendment defenders are urging Congress to defeat an amendment slipped into an otherwise favorable bill that would require licensed gun dealers to supply a trigger-lock device with every handgun sold, calling it an effective "gun tax" on every weapon sold.
The bill as it originally was introduced by the House of Representatives would help protect the firearms industry from frivolous lawsuits brought by cities, municipalities and radical anti-gun interest groups, said Gun Owners of America, or GOA.
But the Senate version was amended on the Senate floor in July by Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisc., adding the trigger-lock requirement.
"While it is imperative that the Congress pass legislation to protect the firearms industry, this bill should not be used as a vehicle for a misguided gun control proposal," said a GOA dispatch.
The group said House leadership is being pressured to quickly adopt the Senate version of the bill instead of taking up its own bill H.R. 800, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act which contains no gun control.
The bill went before the Rules Committee yesterday and likely will reach the House floor this week.
Opponents argue the amendment leads gun owners to the verge of mandatory trigger lock usage, which actually would endanger lives by rendering self-defense firearms useless.
"While the amendment does not require that gun owners use trigger locks at this point, it is easy to see how trigger locks, like automobile seatbelts or motorcycle helmets, can quickly become compulsory," said GOA.
The House bill, introduced by Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., could help protect the gun industry, GOA argued, but it would do so without saddling American gun owners with yet another gun control law.
The bill has more than 250 co-sponsors and would pass the House easily if leadership would bring it up rather than its Senate counterpart, the group said.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46890*FW Note:So, in this case, we see the NRA and SAF once again compromising and willing to give away just a little more of our freedom to accomplish the larger goal of protecting a corporate interest which will in some fashion trickle down to the little people by ensuring that guns are available because the manufacturers were not forced out of business by frivolous lawsuits.
But when you buy that gun, you'll also buy a lock to go on it. The next step will be the
requirement to use the lock, since there is a legal requirement that you have it in your possession, because there was a legal requirement for the retailer to sell it to you. Wait and see...
We are learning the definition of a word here.
Incrementalism.
