The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today applauded California Superior Court Judge Vincent P. DiFiglia of San Diego for granting summary judgment in favor of the firearms industry, throwing out lawsuits filed against gunmakers by a dozen municipalities in California.
“Once again,” said SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb, “a court has seen through the rhetoric and used common sense and rule of law to stop what amounted to politically-motivated legal harassment of a perfectly legitimate industry.”
Four years ago, SAF took the unusual step of filing a lawsuit of its own against mayors of cities involved in a string of municipal lawsuits against gun manufacturers, and against the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
“We see this as yet another in a string of victories, not only for gun makers, but for gun buyers: the law-abiding citizens who ultimately feel the financial impact of these frivolous lawsuits,” Gottlieb stated. “What concerns us, and what should concern every resident in every municipality that participates in such lawsuits is the amount of taxpayer money that has been wasted just so a handful of headline-seeking, anti-gun politicians can get a sound bite on television.
“The gun industry,” he continued, “is highly-regulated and it caters to law-abiding citizens who are not responsible for the urban violence, fueled by the festering drug traffic that these politicians can’t stop. Instead of suing the gun industry, these California communities should be enlisting the cooperation of gun makers and gun owners to help find solutions to gun crime and gun accidents.
“Judge DiFiglia’s decision,” Gottlieb concluded, “is more than just a victory for the firearms industry and its law-abiding customers. It amounts to one more rebuke of anti-gun politicians, and the special interest groups that encourage these wasteful, groundless legal actions.”