Gun makers lose problem to New York law permitting lawsuits towards business

Guns confiscated at New York Metropolis public colleges are displayed at a information convention with Mayor Eric Adams at police headquarters to talk about guns in public colleges in New York City on May 25, 2022 in New York Metropolis.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit by a bunch of gun producers, distributors and retailers challenging the constitutionality of a New York legislation that permits the state and people affected by gun violence to sue the industry.

U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino in Albany rejected a request by the National Taking pictures Sports activities Basis and gun manufacturers, including Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co, to enjoin enforcement of the statute.

The ruling came a day after a gunman killed 19 kids and two adults at a Texas elementary college, the most recent in a spate of mass shootings, prompting renewed calls by Democrats for more durable gun laws.

The National Shooting Sports activities Basis, a trade group for the firearms trade, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

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

The law permits firearm sellers, producers and distributors to be sued by the state, cities or individuals for making a "public nuisance" that endangers the public's security and health.

The gun industry group argued the regulation wrongly imposes legal responsibility on firms operating anyplace within the nation that make, sell or market guns or ammunition that are misused by criminals in New York.