Brooklyn Subway Shooting Victim Sues Gun Maker Glock

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Facts

  • Brooklyn, NY resident Ilene Steur, 49, who was shot by accused gunman Frank James on Apr. 12, is suing gun manufacturing company Glock after one of their guns was allegedly used in the attack.1
  • The suit accuses Glock of improperly marketing firearms with an emphasis on their high capacity, easy concealment, and other features that 'appeal to purchasers with criminal intent.'2
  • It also claims that Glock doesn't train dealers to avoid illegal transactions and it refuses to end contracts with distributors whose guns frequently are linked to crime scenes.1
  • The suit comes after the gun industry unsuccessfully challenged a 2021 NY law allowing victims of gun violence to sue gun manufacturers and dealers over their injuries. A federal judge upheld the law last week.3
  • There is a recent precedent for lawsuits against gun manufacturers, as families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting settled with Remington Arms Co. for $73M back in Feb. That suit was based on Connecticut's Unfair Trade Practices Act.4
  • The filing brought Tues., looks to use the 2021 law passed in NY while also circumventing the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) that offers firearms companies immunity from being sued by victims and their families.2

Sources: 1New York Post, 2New York Times, 3NBC and 4Wall Street Journal.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Truthout. The plainest way to impose a cost on the gun manufacturing industry is to repeal the irresponsible PLCAA and subject the industry to liability. This would begin to compel the firearms industry to bear actual, constant, and proportional costs of its reckless overproduction and marketing of guns.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Lawsuits and laws like this will drive the industry out of business, which has been the left's goal all along. It's not even true that the PLCAA gives the gun manufacturing industry immunity from lawsuits altogether. This couldn't be further from the truth, as, like car manufacturers, companies can be sued for selling a product that results in injury.