October 20, 2005

I agree with Jonathan that industry-specific reform proposals are generally suboptimal from a political perspective. As Jonathan acknowledges, however, the gun lawsuits are of particular concern: they are egregious examples of "regulation through litigation" (since the gun manufacturers don't have much money to go after, the clear implication is that the suits are designed solely to effect public policy through the courts) and, significantly, these suits implicate a constitutional right, i.e., the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Our editor Walter Olson testified in the House in support of this bill in the preceding Congress, see here. He and Michael Krauss debated the merits of the legislation--with Krauss objecting on grounds of federalism--in our first featured discussion, here.