The relatives of two DC sniper victims are playing the lottery–er, I mean, suing Bushmaster, the two sniper suspects, and the gun dealer who apparently lost track of the rifle used in the shootings. I can, of course, see the logic in suing the sniper suspects, and the gun dealer probably has some culpability as well, but how in the hell can Bushmaster be even remotely responsible? They sold the rifle to a federally-licensed firearms dealer, and that should be the end of their involvement. By the plaintiffs’ logic, anybody who has even the remotest connection to the situation should be held liable–including the ammunition manufacturer, the maker of the getaway car, the oil company who supplied the gasoline used to power the car, etc.–the list could go on and on.
As far as Bushmaster’s involvement, the gun apparently performed flawlessly, and they broke no laws in the sale and distribution of the rifle. They also have no control over what happens after the gun is sold, nor should they have any responsibility to do so. The lawsuit states that the defendants “have intentionally and willfully chosen to sell and distribute firearms in a grossly negligent manner that circumvents established laws and policies of the United States…” Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the ATF responsible for enforcing firearms laws? They issued the license to the gun dealer, and the manufacturer followed the ATF’s own rules by selling the gun to a licensed dealer. It seems as though the dealer’s actions may have been questionable, but it’s the ATF’s responsibility to look into that, not Bushmaster’s.
In a perfect world, the plaintiffs (and their attorneys) should be punished as harshly as the punishment they are seeking if the lawsuit is found to be frivolous (which it obviously is), but with the lack of personal responsibility in today’s fucked up world, there’s no guarantee that a judge or jury would laugh their asses out of court. I hate to say it, but it appears that the people pursuing this case deserve exactly what the sniper victims got.
Also, note the bias in the CNN article. The title–“Sniper victim families sue gun maker, retailer”–makes no reference to the people who are actually responsible for the shootings, and the two sniper suspects aren’t even mentioned as defendants until the fourth paragraph. Also included in the article is a link to another article that describes how “cheap” the Bushmaster XM-15 is, and how easily an 8-year old child can operate it. Fucking liberal news media. (Did I just say that?)