Latest NYC Law Sets Conduct Code For Firearms Sales
For the first time in the nation, gunmakers and dealers are now liable for injuries or deaths caused by the criminal use of their products, under a New York City law signed Jan. 18 by Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The law—one of four bills signed regulating gun sales and possession—goes further than any other city’s effort to hold the gun industry financially responsible for crimes involving their firearms, reported The New York Post.
City lawmakers took more than two years to hammer out the legislation, continuing an effort begun a decade ago by former Brooklyn District Attorney Elizabeth Holtzman, who was at the law’s signing.
Called the Gun Industry Responsibility Act (GIRA), the measure passed the New York City Council almost unanimously on Jan. 5.
GIRA creates a “Code of Responsible Conduct” for gun dealers and manufacturers. If a dealer or manufacturer fails to comply with the code, a victim of gun violence or their family can sue for financial damages.
Under the new bill, gun manufacturers and dealers must keep inventories of firearms and sales. Dealers are now required to sell only from storefront locations, not from homes, car shows or gun shows, where background checks are unlikely. Also, gun sales will be restricted to one gun per person per 30 days.
The president of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Tom King, said it was wrong to hold the gun industry responsible for criminals’ actions. King said it was too soon to tell whether the legislation would be challenged in court, according to Associated Press.
The City Council also voted to raise the minimum age for rifle and shotgun permits from 18 to 21.
Originally, GIRA had another provision which held gun manufacturers financially liable to victims of crimes caused by guns they sold to a dealer they knew had sold a minimum of 20 guns related to crimes. However this provision was taken out at the preliminary Public Safety Committee vote the day before it was passed by the City Council.