DALLAS (June 20, 2000) – New York City is just piling on in the hopes of either forcing gun manufacturers to the negotiating table or bankrupting them. So argues H. Sterling Burnett, senior policy analyst for the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA SM), who is available to discuss the class action suit filed this week by New York City against approximately 30 gun makers, alleging that guns and how they are marketed and distributed have contributed to violence.
"If this lawsuit succeeds, it will establish bad law and bad public policy," said Burnett. "It would establish bad law because it asks the courts to legislate and it would overturn well-established legal precedence that manufacturers are not responsible for the criminal misuse of their products. It would be bad public policy because guns prevent more harm than they cause."
As one of the nation's leading experts on gun litigation issues, Burnett can provide important insight and analysis on the legitimacy of New York City's suit and on its chances for success.
WHO: H. Sterling Burnett, NCPA Senior Policy Analyst
WHAT: Litigation Against Gun Manufacturers
WHEN: Available Immediately
Burnett is the author of a study entitled "Suing Gun Manufacturers: Hazardous to Our Health," which notes that citizens use guns in self-defense as many as 2.5 million times annually (in the vast majority of cases, merely showing the firearm prevents the crime). That far exceeds the number of crimes committed with firearms each year, providing cities with a net social benefit from gun use. Accordingly, Burnett calculates that guns save U.S. citizens between $1 billion and $38 billion annually.