Blogging seems to be all the rage, so what the heck? I'll follow the lemmings over the cliff too! It probably won't get me elected President, but maybe some interesting discussions will come out of it... Beware, however: I speak my mind here, and I'm pretty frank and open. Some may be offended at the content and/or opinions. If you're easily offended, you might want to look elsewhere for reading material.

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November 11, 2003

Corporate Lawsuits

This morning I got a message on an activist mailing list I'm on wanting me to oppose some bills meant to prevent the unjustified assault on the tobacco industry from happening to the gun industry. Apparently, now that they've won the battle against the tobacco industry --- wait, no they didn't (it's still plenty easy to get cigarettes and other tobacco products), but the lawyers made out like bandits at least. In any case, now they're going after gun makers, blaming them for the way outlaws and idiots use them. Give me a break.

These stupid lawsuits that blame the companies for the actions of individuals are blights on the legal system --- they're one small step up from the ambulance chasers seeking deep pockets to win the lottery. It made no sense to sue tobacco companies (I remember hearing about tobacco and cancer when I was a kid in the 60's! The claim that "the smokers didn't know" is BS), and it makes even less sense for the gun industry, where safety is a common issue.

If you want to sue the parents who don't lock up their guns or teach their kids how to handle them, fine, but it's not the gunmaker's fault that the parents didn't do their job and it's certainly not the gunmaker's fault when outlaws misuse guns they probably stole in the first place. Posted by abatie at November 11, 2003 12:45 PM

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