Reply #2: Falsehoods abound.

[slackmaster]

FAMILIES OF the victims of the Washington-area snipers would be unable to hold accountable the gun store that somehow "lost" the assault rifle used in the attacks if a bill before the Senate becomes law.

Wrong. If the gun store violated the law or regulations they can be held liable.

Firearms and tobacco are already the only two consumer industries that are not subject to federal consumer safety regulations.

Also not true. Whoever made that statement pulled it out of his or her ass.

Each year, several thousand children are shot to death in the United States. Many such killings could be prevented if all manufacturers were required to install safety devices.

A crock. The number of children accidentally shot annually is around 200. Teaching gun owners to store their weapons responsibly is a much better solution IMO.

If one or two courts ruled on behalf of victims and required the gun makers to pay substantial awards, they would be quicker to include foolproof devices on their products.

There's no such thing as a "foolproof" device. If you try to make something foolproof someone will come up with a better fool.

Other suits now pending in courts aim at both makers and dealers for establishing a distribution system that makes it all too easy for firearms to wind up in the hands of criminals through easily detected "straw purchasers."

Straw purchasers are not always easily detected. If they are, they can and should be prosecuted. Law enforcement is a job for cops, not gun dealers.

It's a shame that people who oppose this bill have to resort to emotional arguments and falsehoods.