Gov. Cuomo Signs Bill That Allows Government to Sue Gun Makers

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill into law that will hold gun manufacturers responsible for the violence that results from their product. Gov. Cuomo signed two bills recently, which are aimed at stopping the increase in gun violence the State and Western New York have experienced in the past few years.

According to the Governor's website, he signed the following bills,

Legislation (S.7196/A.6762-B) Allows Public to Hold Gun Manufacturers Liable for Their Products Creating a Public Nuisance
Legislation (S.5000-B/A.6198-B) Prohibits the Sale of Firearms to Anyone with an Outstanding Warrant for a Felony or Serious Offense

Get our free mobile app

This weekend alone, we had 14 shootings in WNY. Buffalo isn't the only city in experiencing an uptick in gun violence, 51 people were shot in New York State over the 4th of July weekend, according to the NY Times. But if you look at percentages, 27 percent of the shootings this past weekend across the state were in the Buffalo area.

The bill that holds gun manufacturers responsible for the violence their product causes states,

Under this new legislation, gun manufacturers cannot endanger the safety and health of the public through the sale, manufacturing, importing or marketing of the products they sell. The products can be considered a public nuisance even if the gun manufacturer did not purposely cause harm to the public.

The bill says that the Attorneys General or the counsels of local governments can sue the gun makers for the violence that guns can cause. I know people often say "guns don't kill people, people kill people," but they sure have made it a lot easier for people to harm other people. This bill will definitely hit them where it counts...in their pockets. Gov. Cuomo said,

"The only industry in the United States of America immune from lawsuits are the gun manufacturers, but we will not stand for that any longer. I am not only signing a new law that does away with this immunity, giving New York the ability to hold them accountable, but also closing the destructive Trump loophole which has allowed people with active warrants to purchase guns for far too long. Now, if you have an active warrant, you cannot buy a gun in the State of New York, period."

You can read more about the bills on the Governor's website.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

How Many in America: From Guns to Ghost Towns

Can you take a guess as to how many public schools are in the U.S.? Do you have any clue as to how many billionaires might be residing there? Read on to find out—and learn a thing or two about each of these selection’s cultural significance and legacy along the way.