Gun makers lose challenge to New York regulation permitting lawsuits against industry

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

Spencer Platt | Getty Photos

A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of gun producers, distributors and retailers challenging the constitutionality of a New York regulation that permits the state and people affected by gun violence to sue the business.

U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino in Albany rejected a request by the National Shooting Sports activities Foundation 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 kids and two adults at a Texas elementary school, the most recent in a spate of mass shootings, prompting renewed calls by Democrats for harder gun regulations.

The Nationwide Shooting Sports activities Foundation, a trade group for the firearms industry, did not instantly respond to a request for comment.

Democratic former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo final July signed into law a measure that seeks to overcome authorized hurdles which have largely shielded the trade from lawsuits associated to gun violence.

The regulation permits firearm sellers, producers and distributors to be sued by the state, cities or people for making a "public nuisance" that endangers the public's security and well being.

The gun industry group argued the legislation wrongly imposes liability on firms operating wherever within the nation that make, sell or market guns or ammunition which are misused by criminals in New York.