Gun makers lose problem to New York legislation permitting lawsuits towards industry

Guns confiscated at New York Metropolis public schools are displayed at a information conference with Mayor Eric Adams at police headquarters to talk about weapons in public colleges in New York Metropolis on Could 25, 2022 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of gun manufacturers, distributors and retailers difficult the constitutionality of a New York legislation that permits the state and people affected by gun violence to sue the trade.

U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino in Albany rejected a request by the Nationwide Shooting Sports Basis and gun producers, including Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co, to enjoin enforcement of the statute.

The ruling came a day after a gunman killed 19 youngsters and two adults at a Texas elementary college, the newest in a spate of mass shootings, prompting renewed calls by Democrats for harder gun rules.

The Nationwide Shooting Sports activities Foundation, a commerce group for the firearms business, did not immediately respond to a request for remark.

Democratic former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last July signed into law a measure that seeks to beat legal hurdles which have largely shielded the business from lawsuits related to gun violence.

The law permits firearm sellers, producers and distributors to be sued by the state, cities or individuals for creating a "public nuisance" that endangers the public's security and health.

The gun trade group argued the regulation wrongly imposes legal responsibility on firms working wherever in the country that make, sell or market guns or ammunition which might be misused by criminals in New York.