Gun makers lose challenge to New York legislation allowing lawsuits against industry

Weapons confiscated at New York City public colleges are displayed at a news convention with Mayor Eric Adams at police headquarters to speak about guns in public colleges in New York City on Could 25, 2022 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

A federal decide on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of gun producers, distributors and retailers challenging the constitutionality of a New York law that allows the state and people affected by gun violence to sue the trade.

U.S. District Choose Mae D'Agostino in Albany rejected a request by the Nationwide Taking pictures Sports activities Foundation and gun producers, including Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co, to enjoin enforcement of the statute.

The ruling got here a day after a gunman killed 19 youngsters and two adults at a Texas elementary college, the newest in a spate of mass shootings, prompting renewed calls by Democrats for more durable gun regulations.

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

Democratic former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last July signed into law a measure that seeks to beat legal hurdles that have largely shielded the business from lawsuits related to gun violence.

The legislation permits firearm sellers, producers and distributors to be sued by the state, cities or individuals for making a "public nuisance" that endangers the general public's security and health.

The gun industry group argued the law wrongly imposes liability on firms working anyplace in the nation that make, promote or market weapons or ammunition which are misused by criminals in New York.