Boston Abandons Lawsuit
Against Firearms Manufacturers
City acknowledges industry members committed
to safety, responsibility
NEWTOWN, Conn. - After almost three years
of litigation, document review and sworn statements, and at
the request of the City of Boston and the Boston Public Health
Commission, a Massachusetts court dismissed in full the product
liability and public nuisance lawsuit they filed against firearms
manufacturers and industry trade associations.
"We are extremely pleased with the suit's
dismissal, but it is unfortunate and inappropriate that Boston
Mayor Thomas Menino mischaracterizes industry safety efforts
as being prompted by the city's suit," said Lawrence G. Keane,
vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting
Sports Foundation, Inc., the firearms industry's major trade
association and a defendant in the Boston case. "The truth
is that industry has been actively promoting nationwide safety
efforts for decades, a fact previously acknowledged by the
mayor."
Boston acknowledged firearms industry members
"are genuinely concerned with and are committed to, the safe,
legal and responsible sale and use of their products" in a
statement filed with the request for dismissal. "No concessions
were made in exchange for the city's actions. As emphasized
in Boston's filing, the path forward can now be best achieved
through cooperation in continued safety programs and communication,
rather through litigation." Keane noted. "We will continue
to work with those who want to further reduce firearms accidents
and decrease criminal violence committed with firearms."
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