Reply #63: A shield only for the gun industry

[MrBenchley]

"If Congress is hellbent on bulletproofing the gun industry, it should at least offer a few more protections for everyone else. When the U.S. Senate takes up legislation granting legal immunity to gun dealers and manufacturers on Tuesday, a majority of senators should demand that two important gun-control measures be added to the bill.
One would close the loophole in federal gun law that allows spouse abusers and other criminals, even terrorists, to buy weapons at gun shows without undergoing background checks. Oregon and 16 other states have closed the loophole, but Congress so far has refused to make the change nationwide.
The other critical gun measure would renew the assault weapons ban, which has been the law for 10 years. Without congressional action, the ban will expire in September, and guns that have no sporting use will again be widely available in this country, endangering police officers and everyone else.
The Senate will begin debating these two amendments to the gun dealer immunity bill beginning Tuesday. We strongly urge Oregon's two senators, Republican Gordon Smith and Democrat Ron Wyden, to insist that the gun-show and assault ban language is added to what's likely to be the only gun bill to pass the Congress this year.
The gun dealer immunity bill would provide unique legal protection for an industry worried about being held accountable for the carnage inflicted by its products. If approved, the bill would even force the dismissal of lawsuits filed by families of victims of the Washington, D.C., snipers. "

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