<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
Officials Threaten Gun Lawsuits
By PAUL SHEPARD
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite recent setbacks to the gun lawsuit cause in Florida
and Connecticut, federal and local officials are still threatening to bring a
national lawsuit against the gun industry if manufacturers fail to enter
negotiations designed to increase firearm safety.
``This is a problem that can no longer be ignored,'' Housing and Urban
Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo said after meeting Tuesday with
representatives of 19 local jurisdictions and the NAACP.
Characterized by participants as a productive session, the gathering at HUD
headquarters was the first step by national and local officials to persuade
gun makers to negotiate or face a federal class action suit from public
housing authorities.
``We don't want to spend years in courts when we can save lives now,'' said
Bruce Reed, the White House domestic policy adviser who attended the meeting.
A National Rifle Association official said the threatened federal lawsuit
smacks of ``desperation'' on the part of the Clinton administration after it
failed to persuade the GOP-led Congress to pass additional gun control
measures this year.
``I think it's a show of desperation on their side that they would still be
talking about heavy-handed legal tactics that have been thrown out in
courtrooms in Florida, Connecticut and Cincinnati,'' said James J. Baker,
director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action.
On Monday, a Florida state judge threw out a suit filed by Miami-Dade County
alleging guns created a public nuisance and threatened residents' safety.
Last Friday, a Connecticut state judge dismissed a similar suit brought by
the city of Bridgeport. And in October, an Ohio judge dismissed Cincinnati's
suit. At the same time, another judge in October allowed Atlanta's suit to
proceed and ordered the industry to open its files.
Reed said the gun industry should not rely on the negative rulings as
protection from future decisions and avoid negotiating how to make guns safer
with new technology and how to change distribution, marketing and advertising
practices in ways the cities are seeking.
``We've had good days and we've had bad days in court but this issue won't go
away,'' Reed said. ``I think it's in their interest to stay at the
(negotiating) table.''
Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim said his city would appeal Friday's ruling and
said the federal response on the gun issue would give local suits more weight
in the court of public opinion if not the courtrooms of state judges.
``Getting HUD to join us is big because we can get in under one umbrella
without waiting to see what happens in 20 different verdicts,'' Ganim said.
Cuomo said that in the coming weeks, representatives from HUD and other
federal agencies including the Justice and Treasury Departments would huddle
with state, county and city government officials ``to get a better sense of
where we are going.''
Baker of the NRA said gun makers would likely talk with the group that
emerges from HUD's efforts, but said he feared other suits might arise even
if a settlement were reached.
``They won't be able to bind the whole world to one settlement,'' Baker said.
``They could get a settlement with the housing authorities and there could
still be 50 or 100 other lawsuits out there
AP-NY-12-14-99 1511EST[/quote]
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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
Officials Threaten Gun Lawsuits
By PAUL SHEPARD
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite recent setbacks to the gun lawsuit cause in Florida
and Connecticut, federal and local officials are still threatening to bring a
national lawsuit against the gun industry if manufacturers fail to enter
negotiations designed to increase firearm safety.
``This is a problem that can no longer be ignored,'' Housing and Urban
Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo said after meeting Tuesday with
representatives of 19 local jurisdictions and the NAACP.
Characterized by participants as a productive session, the gathering at HUD
headquarters was the first step by national and local officials to persuade
gun makers to negotiate or face a federal class action suit from public
housing authorities.
``We don't want to spend years in courts when we can save lives now,'' said
Bruce Reed, the White House domestic policy adviser who attended the meeting.
A National Rifle Association official said the threatened federal lawsuit
smacks of ``desperation'' on the part of the Clinton administration after it
failed to persuade the GOP-led Congress to pass additional gun control
measures this year.
``I think it's a show of desperation on their side that they would still be
talking about heavy-handed legal tactics that have been thrown out in
courtrooms in Florida, Connecticut and Cincinnati,'' said James J. Baker,
director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action.
On Monday, a Florida state judge threw out a suit filed by Miami-Dade County
alleging guns created a public nuisance and threatened residents' safety.
Last Friday, a Connecticut state judge dismissed a similar suit brought by
the city of Bridgeport. And in October, an Ohio judge dismissed Cincinnati's
suit. At the same time, another judge in October allowed Atlanta's suit to
proceed and ordered the industry to open its files.
Reed said the gun industry should not rely on the negative rulings as
protection from future decisions and avoid negotiating how to make guns safer
with new technology and how to change distribution, marketing and advertising
practices in ways the cities are seeking.
``We've had good days and we've had bad days in court but this issue won't go
away,'' Reed said. ``I think it's in their interest to stay at the
(negotiating) table.''
Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim said his city would appeal Friday's ruling and
said the federal response on the gun issue would give local suits more weight
in the court of public opinion if not the courtrooms of state judges.
``Getting HUD to join us is big because we can get in under one umbrella
without waiting to see what happens in 20 different verdicts,'' Ganim said.
Cuomo said that in the coming weeks, representatives from HUD and other
federal agencies including the Justice and Treasury Departments would huddle
with state, county and city government officials ``to get a better sense of
where we are going.''
Baker of the NRA said gun makers would likely talk with the group that
emerges from HUD's efforts, but said he feared other suits might arise even
if a settlement were reached.
``They won't be able to bind the whole world to one settlement,'' Baker said.
``They could get a settlement with the housing authorities and there could
still be 50 or 100 other lawsuits out there
AP-NY-12-14-99 1511EST[/quote]
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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!