In 2005, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). The law protects gun manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products. The law was passed in response to a series of lawsuits filed against the gun industry in the late 1990s which claimed gun-makers and sellers were not doing enough to prevent crimes committed with their products. Proponents of the law argue that lawsuits will discourage gun manufacturers from supplying stores who sell guns that end up being used in violent crimes. Opponents argue that gun manufacturers are not responsible for random acts of violence committed with their products.
24% Yes |
76% No |
19% Yes |
66% No |
2% Yes, any business should be held liable if the primary use of its product is for illegal activity |
9% No, manufacturers and dealers should only be held liable for negligence |
2% Yes, as long as the losing party pays all legal fees, it’s our constitutional right to sue anyone for any reason |
|
1% Yes, but only dealers |
See how support for each position on “Gun Liability” has changed over time for 3.6m America voters.
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See how importance of “Gun Liability” has changed over time for 3.6m America voters.
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Unique answers from America users whose views extended beyond the provided choices.
@8MQHHXY3yrs3Y
I think that the people who make the guns should not be responsible unless if their products cause a huge number of problems worldwide.
@8LYHYV43yrs3Y
Depending on if the firearm user is the one being injured, say you purchased a faulty firearm and attempted to fire it and it backfires on you, hurting your arm, then you should be able to fault the manufacturer or dealer, but only in that scenario.
@8QPRM643yrs3Y
@3WZMZGC3yrs3Y
Absolutely not. This is asinine and comparable to suing a hammer maker because you smashed your thumb. Even if someone smashed someone elses thumb, on purpose. It is not the fault of the tool maker. It is the responsibility of each person to handle those tools appropriately. Decisions come with consequences. Use a tool for harm, and that person should deal with those consequences, not a company who made it.
Firearms dealers should only be dealt with legally if they sold someone a gun without going through the proper process.
@8MN8DQ93yrs3Y
No, unless they had a true influence over the violence.
@97SCG641yr1Y
For crimes involving assault rifles only
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@ISIDEWITH4 days4D
The Biden administration is moving to expand background checks for gun purchases, fulfilling a key demand of advocates following the deadly shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas.The final rule, expected to be submitted Thursday to the Federal Register by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, would eliminate a loophole that has allowed sales of guns without background checks of guns outside of brick-and-mortar stores.The rule was issued under a provision of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It requires that anyone who sells guns for profit to have a license and that buyers be subject to a background check, including at firearms shows and flea markets. The administration had been working on the rule since last spring. Once publicized, it will take effect in 30 days.The so-called gun show loophole has for years allowed unlicensed gun dealers to sell firearms without background checks at gun shows, on the internet and out of their homes. The new rule, the most sweeping expansion of firearms background checks in decades, will apply to more than 20,000 individuals engaged in unlicensed gun dealing and affect “tens and tens of thousands of gun sales” each year, an administration official told reporters during a call previewing the announcement.“This single gap in our federal background check system has caused unimaginable pain and suffering,” Vice President Kamala Harris said on the call.The vice president noted the 25th anniversary next week of the mass shooting at Columbine High School, which was carried out with weapons purchased through the gun-show loophole. She also pointed to the 2019 shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas, where a man killed seven people and wounded dozens of others. A background check stopped the shooter from purchasing a gun at a sporting goods store in 2014, but he later purchased an AR-15 from an unlicensed seller he met online.“So many communities have been torn apart by acts of violence committed with weapons bought without background checks,” she continued. “So in the memory of all those we have lost today, as the head of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, I am proud to announce that all gun dealers now must conduct background checks no matter where or how they sell their merchandise.”An analysis published last week from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found sales by unlicensed dealers were the most frequently used gun trafficking channel. From 2017 to 2021, the ATF traced more than 68,000 of these illegally tracked firearms to unlicensed dealers.“Today’s Final Rule is about ensuring compliance with an important area of the existing law where we all know, the data show, and we can clearly see that a whole group of folks are openly flouting that law. That leads to not just unfair but, in this case, dangerous consequences,” said ATF director Steven Dettelbach.The move is already facing backlash from Republicans. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), the lead Republicans on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, plan to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to “overturn this unconstitutional rule,” a Cornyn spokesperson told POLITICO. To invalidate a federal regulation, both Houses must pass the resolution, which would then be sent to a president for a signature or veto. It would take two thirds majority of both Houses of Congress to override the president’s veto.
@WornoutRatified2mos2MO
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@CabinetGary4mos4MO
The bill would:-Require universal background checks -Close the so-called “gun-show loophole.” There is no gun-show loophole, as all federally licensed firearms dealers must complete a background check through the National Instant Background Check System (NICS) for each sale. Private sales…
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