Civil Litigation, Boycotts and Other Organized Action
Parents
Urged to Ask About Guns in Other People's Homes. Anti-gun groups are observing
the fifth annual National ASK Day — ASK, an acronym for "asking saves
kids." Anti-gun activists say with most children now out of school, the
question parents should be asking is this: "Is there a gun where your
child plays?"
"Radio
Free NRA" Considers Broadcasting From Mexico. Wayne LaPierre
says: "If I could find a radio station in Mexico with 50,000 watts, I would
go with them. Fifty thousand watts would cover over half the country."
Editor's Note:
Really? Half of which country? There is a 150,000 watt station in
Juarez that can't be heard in Dallas. In my opinion, Mr. LaPierre appears
to know more about ballistics than broadcasting. It is true that a 50,000 watt
station would cover half the country, but only on a clear channel — something
which no longer exists — and only in the middle of the night.
Anti-Gun
Group Sues Maker of Gun Tied to DC Snipers: The nation's largest anti-gun
group Thursday [1/16/2003] filed suit against the manufacturer of the gun allegedly used
by Washington, D.C.-area sniper suspects John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo and the
Washington state gun store from which the semi-automatic rifle was allegedly lost or stolen.
Anti-Tobacco
Lawyers Fund Anti-Gun Suits With Tobacco Money: On October 31, 1999, the
city of New Orleans launched the first of over thirty harassment lawsuits attempting to
outlaw the sale and manufacture of firearms in the United States. These lawsuits were
not random, nor were they coincidental. Rather, these anti-gun lawsuits were the
brainchild of a group of trial lawyers from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas
using billions of dollars of proceeds they had received in legal fees from their
suits against tobacco companies.
Anti-Gun
Agenda Cost Candidates for House and Senate: Republicans focused their
mid-term election campaigns on homeland defense and the potential of a war with Iraq
while Democrats mainly concentrated on the economy, Social Security, and healthcare
issues. But for many candidates in both parties, their position on the Second Amendment
played a significant role in their election or defeat.
It's
Time to Sue the Gun-Lie Industry: A restless
spirit is taking hold of American gun owners. When I write
about gun issues nowadays, many readers respond
impatiently, "We already know our gun rights are
threatened. Tell us what we can do about it!"
Smith & Wesson
Stock Rebounds, Despite Consumer Boycott: Seventeen months
after gun maker Smith & Wesson Corp. laid off more than
a hundred workers from its Springfield, Mass. plant in the middle of a
consumer boycott, the company's new owners this week watched their
stock hit an all-time high.
Gun
Rights and Dell Computers: Corporate managers should
take note: Any sign of prejudice against lawful gun owners now risks
a confrontation with millions of net-wired activists.
Anti-Gunners
Gunning for Ashcroft's Silence on Gun Policy: Attorney
General John Ashcroft removed himself from the Enron
investigation because he has accepted contributions from the
energy giant, and on Thursday [2/7/2002], a gun-control group said Ashcroft
should also recuse himself from all matters relating to firearms
policy because he has accepted contributions from the gun industry
and the National Rifle Association.
The
Rise of Nuisance Theory: A new class of
lawsuits is being used to go after gun manufacturers based
on the theory that firearms are being deliberately
marketed to criminals.
Gun
Lawsuits Make Us All Less Safe: These
suits would reverse well-established tort law: manufacturers
are not responsible for the criminal misuse of their products. Should
automobile makers be held responsible for vehicular homicides committed
by people in the grip of road rage? If gun makers are held liable when
criminals misuse guns, where will the lawsuit parade end?
Environmentalists
See Threat in Mandatory Gun Laws: The
city of Escalante, Utah, is thinking about making gun ownership
mandatory, something that environmentalists see as a thinly veiled threat. City
leaders are expected to vote on a proposed ordinance that would
require all heads of households in Escalante to own a gun. The town of
Virgin, Utah, passed a similar law earlier this year. Supporters say
such laws are intended to make a clear statement about Americans'
individual right to bear arms.
Surprise
Assault On Gun Ownership: The
gun-control lobby is on the warpath in a most surprising venue. A group called
Doctors Against Handgun Injury is calling on doctors, including psychiatrists,
to ask their patients nosy questions about their gun ownership.
Anti-Gun
Groups File Complaint Against Ashcroft: The
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Common Cause on Tuesday filed
an "ethics complaint" against Attorney General John Ashcroft for allegedly
violating "his ethical obligations to his client, the United States" by
sending a letter to the National Rifle Association in favor of
the Second Amendment.
AMA
Launches Attack on Guns: The new president
of American Medical Association dedicated his organization Wednesday to fighting
guns in the United States, prompting concern that the group is straying too far
into social activism.
Dems
Fight Change in Gun Records: Democrats oppose
Attorney General John Ashcroft's plan to reduce the time federal officials
retain criminal background check records on gun buyers.
Anti-Gun
Group Wants Everyone to Tattle: Imagine
your child asking a friend over to your home to play. Then you get a phone
call from the parent to ask if there are any guns in your home. If one
anti-gun activist group has its way, these and other types of personal
questions will become commonplace in America's neighborhoods.
Invasion
of the Anti-gun Doctors,
by Dr. Michael S. Brown: The new organization
Doctors Against Handgun Injury brings nothing new to
the gun debate. Its arguments are the same old mix of
junk science and emotional appeals, but with a strange
schizophrenic twist.
Anti-gun
Group Launches Ashcroft Watchdog Web Site: Violence
Policy Center announced Wednesday it has launched a Web site to monitor what it calls
the "pro-gun activities and gun lobby ties" of Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Shrinking
AMA Calls the Shots on Anti-gun Policy: Despite a declining
membership, the American Medical Association
is having significant success with its campaign to infuse
politically correct anti-gun propaganda into the mainstream
of the medical profession.
