By law, all manufacturers must make their products as safe as possible. This is especially true if their products are likely to come into contact with children. However, our gun industry may be the only exception to this law. The 2005 Protection of Lawful commerce In Arms Act gave the gun industry immunity from negligence and product liability claims. Critics say we need to hold gun makers to the same standards as other industries, making them responsible for bad practices and negligence.

One of many examples of this type of negligence includes repeated customer complaints about a popular Remington pump-action shotgun which has been accused for many years of inadvertently discharging, despite having the safety engaged. This condition has been responsible for injuring and killing several people. While publicly blaming these “accidents” on the operators, this manufacturer reportedly duplicated the problem in its own tests and identified a cheap and simple solution to correct it years ago, but still has not implemented this solution. Advocates say this procrastination would not have occurred if the manufacturer had been held responsible for allowing such a dangerous situation to continue.

Gun industry critics say that for many years these companies have made their firearms more powerful, easier to conceal, able to shoot faster and carry more ammunition. They say gun makers should also have been improving their product’s safety, and limiting those who have access to them. They say gun manufacturers have the ability to make guns safer but having amnesty from lawsuits gives them little incentive to do so. They claim the treat of lawsuits is the only way to compel this industry into behaving more responsibly.

Proposed Legislation: Reintroduction of H.R.157 - Gun Manufacturers Accountability Act (116th Congress 2019-2020)
Prospective Sponsor: Rep. Dwight Evans (PA)