Gun makers lose challenge to New York law permitting lawsuits in opposition to trade

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

Spencer Platt | Getty Photos

A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of gun manufacturers, distributors and retailers challenging the constitutionality of a New York legislation that enables the state and folks affected by gun violence to sue the business.

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

The ruling came a day after a gunman killed 19 youngsters and two adults at a Texas elementary faculty, the newest in a spate of mass shootings, prompting renewed calls by Democrats for tougher gun rules.

The National Taking pictures Sports Basis, a trade group for the firearms industry, did not instantly reply to a request for comment.

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

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

The gun trade group argued the law wrongly imposes liability on firms operating anyplace in the nation that make, sell or market weapons or ammunition which can be misused by criminals in New York.