NRA Is Too Powerful

Senator Frist has decided to table work on the defense appropriations bill and instead work on an unprecedented bill to limit liabilty for gun manufacturers and dealers. A limitation no other industry has.

Limiting liablity for manufacturers is a terrible idea. Limiting liability for dealers is even worse. While many dealers are honest business people, some find that selling guns to people who shouldn't have them is a profitable business. The gun dealer that sold the rifle used in the DC sniper attacks lost a civil suit by victims. This type of lawsuit would now be prevented. This dealer managed to lose 200 weapons. Weapons he purchased and now has no records of. He should go to jail for this, but he should also be liable for civil suits.

It is no secret that many gun manufactures have financial incentives for not watching their dealers too closely. Limitations on liability provides even less incentive for manufacturers to watch the dealers.

Here are four articles that give you more details:
A Half-Cocked Gun Bill
Sen. Frist Supports Gun Liability Reform Legislation
Senate takes up bill to protect gun industry
The Biggest Lie Yet: Hoping to Ram Bill Through Senate, NRA Supporters Use Phony Scare Tactics, Says Brady Campaign

I have no problem with hunters and sportsmen having rifles, shotguns and pistols. The problem is that zealots, like the NRA, are afraid of any law that seems to limit what they see as the rights of gun owners. The NRA takes the position that any limits on guns will lead to the eventual outlawing of all firearms. So as manufactures make bigger and more lethal firearms to satisfy consumer demand, the NRA fights every attempt to bring sanity to the situation. This is unfortunate since an organization with as much influence as the NRA could see that reasonable laws are passed. Laws that rationally limit some of the hazards associated with firearms while protecting the rights of people who want to hunt and shoot targets.

The NRA has so much clout because it invests a lot of money in political candidates. The only way we can turn gun issues into rational discussions is to temper the power of the NRA. We all need to ask candidates for office if they take money from the NRA and if they do, don't vote for them.



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