The protection no one heard about
Just recently the news was filled with the echoing screams of the gun-grabbers who were so upset that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act passed.
“This is a day in America when the little guy lost out to powerful special interests. The Senate has passed legislation that, if passed by the House and signed by the President, will lock the courthouse doors to gun violence victims,” said Brady Campaign President Michael Barnes in a statement.
“The legislation, if allowed to become law, will give the most irresponsible gun sellers in America a license to act more recklessly than ever before. It removes the one threat facing those gun sellers that look the other way and help supply the criminal market — that they will be taken to court and held accountable,” said Barnes.
“One irresponsible gun dealer says it ‘lost’ over 200 guns, some of which ended up killing people. That dealer gets immunity. One dealer sells 12 guns to a customer paying cash, police officers are shot with one of the guns, and that dealer gets immunity. This is nothing short of insanity,” added Barnes.
The problem is that the gun industry was not the only one that started to get protection from groups with messed up intentions.
Congress passed legislation last week that would do away with a law blamed for making car leases in New York the most expensive in the country.
The federal highway bill gets rid of “vicarious liability,” which holds car leasing and rental companies responsible when their automobiles are involved in accidents. Critics say the 81-year-old law, created to give protection to limousine and taxi passengers in the 1920s, has made leasing in New York difficult and expensive.
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But the law has cost banks millions in injury suits, and many refuse to provide lease arrangements in New York at all, critics say.The New York State Automobile Dealers Association estimates leases cost an average $724 more in New York than in other states. With banks pulling out, car manufacturers have had to come up with more creative ways to arrange leases.
Few people heard about this little cash cow sucked dry by the lawyers.
August 4th, 2005 at 9:49 am
This is not all that unique. A couple decades back, plaintiff lawyers just about sued the light plane industry out of existence before Congress stepped in.
August 4th, 2005 at 10:31 am
Personlly I hope this increases civil suits against criminals (or is that even possible)
August 4th, 2005 at 1:06 pm
[quote]Personlly I hope this increases civil suits against criminals (or is that even possible)[/quote]
Possible, but unproductive. Most criminals don’t have two dimes to rub together, don’t own property, or have bank accounts for long.
About the only good you could get with one is the possibility of driving him out of town with debt collection attempts.