Gun makers lose problem to New York legislation allowing lawsuits towards industry

Weapons confiscated at New York Metropolis public schools are displayed at a news conference with Mayor Eric Adams at police headquarters to speak about guns in public faculties in New York City on May 25, 2022 in New York Metropolis.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

A federal decide on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of gun producers, distributors and retailers challenging the constitutionality of a New York law that allows the state and people affected by gun violence to sue the business.

U.S. District Decide Mae D'Agostino in Albany rejected a request by the Nationwide Shooting Sports Foundation and gun manufacturers, together with Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co, to enjoin enforcement of the statute.

The ruling got here a day after a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at a Texas elementary college, the most recent in a spate of mass shootings, prompting renewed calls by Democrats for tougher gun regulations.

The National Capturing Sports activities Basis, a trade group for the firearms industry, did not instantly respond to a request for comment.

Democratic former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last July signed into legislation a measure that seeks to beat legal hurdles that have largely shielded the industry from lawsuits related to gun violence.

The law allows firearm sellers, producers and distributors to be sued by the state, cities or individuals for creating a "public nuisance" that endangers the general public's safety and well being.

The gun trade group argued the regulation wrongly imposes liability on firms working wherever in the nation that make, promote or market guns or ammunition which can be misused by criminals in New York.