Mar 02 2004

Graham Opposes Gun Liability Legislation

Controversial Amendments Doom Legislation

WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today voted against S. 1805 the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The bill was intended to give gun manufacturers limited liability protections against lawsuits arising from criminal or unlawful acts committed by third parties using their products. “Unfortunately, the Senate made a Christmas tree out of this bill and it ultimately fell under its own weight,” said Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The bill was loaded down with many overreaching proposals that unnecessarily affected the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens. Some of the provisions we adopted had merit, but some were designed to unfairly restrict lawful gun ownership and ultimately kill the legislation.” “The underlying legislation protecting gun manufacturers from bogus lawsuits that have cost them hundreds of millions of dollars is sound,” said Graham. “The limited protection allows them to stay in business and strikes the right balance of protecting the gun manufacturing industry while not jeopardizing anyone’s legitimate legal rights.” “The Senate seems to have problems addressing real concerns without loading up legislation,” said Graham. “Like President Bush, I wanted a clean bill unencumbered by other extraneous issues. I’m very disappointed that we weren’t able to get this done.” #####