Newsom signs new law allowing suits against gun makers

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
• The new law was part of a package of gun control bills sent to the governor in response to the ongoing crisis of gun violence across the U.S.
• Newsom is expected to sign another bill allowing Californians to sue people or companies that distribute banned weapons.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed a bill into law allowing suits against gun manufacturers for negligence. The new gun control-related law can trigger a wave of lawsuits if it survives inevitable legal challenges.

The Firearm Industry Responsibility Act reflects an effort by California and other Democrat-led states to strengthen gun restrictions following mass shootings across the U.S.

California’s new bill creates a code of conduct that features various safeguards intended to reduce gun violence, authorizing lawsuits for violations by the state attorney general, city attorneys and individual citizens.

“If you’ve been hurt or a family member is a victim of gun violence, you can now go to court and hold these makers of deadly weapons accountable,” Newsom said as he signed the bill in a video statement on Tuesday,

Gun makers could face lawsuits if their products are “abnormally dangerous,” are sold in a way that lets them be illegally converted, or purchased by individuals who are banned from owning firearms.

California Democrats have redoubled their commitment to strict gun restrictions after a series of mass shootings. The governor asked lawmakers to speed up their timeline for sending him various measures.

Democrat Assemblymember Phil Ting, who presented the bill on the Assembly floor, noted that it was the one-year anniversary of a shooting at a San Jose railyard.

“That mass shooting feels like a century ago because we’ve had so many mass shootings between last year and today,” Ting said.

California’s new Firearm Industry Responsibility Act is likely to face a court challenge. Ting argued it was on solid legal ground, noting gun makers had lost an initial round of their challenge to a similar New York law.

Newsom is expected to soon sign a similar bill allowing Californians to sue people or companies that distribute banned firearms like assault weapons. That measure, modeled specifically on a Texas law allowing individuals to sue abortion providers, has already cleared the Legislature and gone to Newsom.

The law goes into effect on July 1, 2023.

Source: The Hill