GIFFORDS applauds New York gun industry accountability law being upheld

WASHINGTON — Today, GIFFORDS Law Center responded to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that rejected a challenge from the gun lobby to New York’s gun industry accountability law. GIFFORDS Law Center filed an amicus brief in the case. A federal gun industry immunity law adopted in 2005, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) gave the gun industry unprecedented legal immunity, blocking many civil claims against the irresponsible gun companies. In recent years, however, states including New York have enacted victims’ access to justice laws. These laws codify the standards of responsible conduct for the firearm industry, allowing civil suits against irresponsible companies that violate those standards. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the gun industry’s trade association, had challenged the New York law. 

“This is a major win for New Yorkers and their ability to seek justice when wronged by lawless gun companies,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “For too long, a dangerous federal law blocked victims of gun violence from courtrooms. New York changed that in 2021 and today the courts have rejected the gun industry’s baseless challenge to New York’s law. GIFFORDS won’t stop fighting to protect states’ efforts to police irresponsible and unlawful conduct by gun companies and to hold the gun industry accountable when it acts recklessly and illegally.”