Should gun manufacturers be liable for the deaths that occur as a result from the use of their products? Should car manufacturers be liable for the deaths that occur as a result from the use of their products?
A group of doctors asked the Connecticut Supreme Court to reinstate a lawsuit against Remington, the maker of the rifle used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. They claimed that makers of military-style rifles should be held liable for injuries the rifles cause. They asked their lawyers to file a “friend of the court” brief asking the court to reinstate a lawsuit previously dismissed by a lower court, against Remington Arms.
The original lawsuit filed by a survivor of the shooting and relatives of nine people killed held that “the Bushmaster rifle is too dangerous to sell to the public.” In October of 2016, a judge sided with Remington, saying that the rifle manufacturer was shielded by a federal law that prohibits most lawsuits over criminal use of their product. The plaintiffs filed an appeal with the Connecticut Supreme Court and are waiting to hear if they will entertain the request.
In the meantime the doctors who treated the victims of the shooting have decided to weigh in. I find it very distressing that doctors think they are suddenly subject matter experts on firearms. It’s bad enough that the courts have allowed doctors to ask you about guns in your home (if you do have them, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER), personally, I wouldn’t. They believe they have first-hand knowledge of the dangers of the rifle and what it can do. What they fail to realize is that they are showing their lack of understanding of firearms and their further lack of reasoning to comprehend how inanimate objects do not harm or kill people. It’s the person pulling the trigger that matters. Suing the firearms manufacturer is like the victim of a drunk driver suing the beer manufacturer or the vehicle manufacturer. It makes no sense.
How are people that are supposed to be semi-intelligent (they are doctors, remember) fail to see that they are being used to further an agenda? When people were dying by the thousands because of drunk driving, MADD did not go out and sue the car manufacturers. They realized it was a problem with people so they focused considerable effort on drafting laws that were more specific and had greater consequences for those choosing to break them. The results were fewer DUI’s, vehicle accidents, and higher prosecution rates.
Why is it so hard for people to understand that firearms are not the problem and that people are? It makes a person wonder what it is about a firearm—something that has been around since the birth of our country, that was written into our Constitution, and is a tool used by many to save lives and defend themselves—that makes people lose all logical thinking.
Firearms are inanimate objects. They are completely harmless unless operated by a person. Same as your car or knife or any other object that can be used to kill people. Vehicles kill far more people than firearms do every year but there is no outcry to ban cars. So why firearms? Firearms are only dangerous when used by a person with intent to harm another. And when that happens, only an armed person has a chance of defending themselves. You do not stop a criminal from shooting you by hollering harsh words or posting a “no firearms allowed” sign on your property. You stop them by being armed, ready, and willing to take defensive action.
So to all those intelligent people out there who think firearms are the problem, do your research and you will most likely come to the realization that you have been sold a bill of goods by those who would like to see you defenseless.
Chris Wagoner is a Senior OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. He has been in law enforcement the last 35+ years. He specializes in LE Firearms Instruction, and is in charge of a large Police Academy in North Florida. In his spare time Chris is a freelance Military Reporter and owner/founder of the Largest Military Videos Channel on YouTube “3rdID8487”.
To contact or book OpsLens contributors on your program or utilize our staff for your story, contact[email protected].
