Gun makers lose problem to New York law permitting lawsuits against industry

Weapons confiscated at New York City public faculties are displayed at a news convention with Mayor Eric Adams at police headquarters to talk about weapons in public faculties in New York City on Might 25, 2022 in New York Metropolis.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

A federal choose on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of gun manufacturers, distributors and retailers challenging the constitutionality of a New York law that permits the state and folks affected by gun violence to sue the business.

U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino in Albany rejected a request by the Nationwide 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 children and two adults at a Texas elementary faculty, the newest in a spate of mass shootings, prompting renewed calls by Democrats for harder gun rules.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a commerce group for the firearms industry, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Democratic former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo final July signed into legislation a measure that seeks to overcome authorized hurdles that have largely shielded the trade 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 public's safety and health.

The gun business group argued the law wrongly imposes legal responsibility on companies operating anywhere in the country that make, sell or market guns or ammunition which might be misused by criminals in New York.