Blumenthal Statement on Supreme Court Decision Protecting Immunity for the Gun Industry

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the lead sponsor of the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, released the following statement after the Supreme Court unanimously barred a case brought by the Mexican government to hold gun manufacturers accountable for their role in the illegal trafficking of firearms, citing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA):

“This decision is yet another reason why PLCAA must be repealed by Congress. PLCAA is the ultimate sweetheart deal – legal immunity afforded to basically no other industry for a product that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. As I said yesterday, this is a problem that cannot be solved only through the courts, and the Supreme Court’s decision today makes that even more clear. Until Congress acts, gun manufacturers will continue to fuel violence and chaos with impunity.”

Yesterday, Blumenthal led a group of 81 Members of Congress in introducing bicameral legislation to repeal PLCAA. The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act would ensure that victims of gun violence have their day in court and that negligent gun companies and gun sellers are not shielded from liability when they disregard public safety.

Blumenthal announced the legislation during a virtual press conference joined by leading gun violence prevention advocates: Kris Brown, President of Brady; Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action; and Adam Skaggs, Chief Counsel and Vice President of GIFFORDS Law Center. Video of the press conference is available here.

The bill is also led by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Dwight Evans (D-PA), and Mike Thompson (D-CA). The legislation is endorsed by Brady, GIFFORDS Law Center, Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives, Guns Down America, Newtown Action Alliance, and Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund.

In January, Blumenthal and U.S. Representatives Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) led 10 Senators and 33 Representatives in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court concerning the Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. et al., v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos case. As lawmakers whose constituents have been harmed by gun violence or the threat of it, the brief argued that the gun industry should not be insulated from liability for its own unlawful conduct. The lawmakers’ amicus brief to the Supreme Court can be found here.

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