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New Orleans Lawsuit
The city of New Orleans' suit to hold gun manufacturers, dealers and trade groups financially responsible for the violence and attendant costs of misused handguns is likely to go nowhere. Some of the lawyers who led the litigation charge against Big Tobacco are representing the city, hoping to duplicate those earlier successes. Unfortunately, There's a HUGE difference between tobacco and handguns, as I'm sure they are soon to find out. "When firearms are used as intended, there is no detrimental effect to anyone, but every time you use tobacco, you hurt your health," said Steve Sanetti of Sturm, Ruger and Co. Sanetti also said gun sellers do not target juveniles. "There's no Joe Camel, no billboards and, unlike cigarettes, guns are used by law enforcment to save lives. A policeman doesn't say, 'Put up your hands or I'll light up!', does he?" New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial said the city wants to recover "millions of dollars" that have gone toward police protection, emergency services, police pensions and lost tax revenues related to handgun violence. The city contends the defendants knew about the "unreasonable dangers of their guns" and failed to provide "safety devices, warnings and other measures... (to) prevent and decrease these dangers." Nothing like solving the problem as opposed to farting into the wind. Mayor Morial appears to spending too much time at Mayor Berry's place.
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