California opens the door to suing gun makers. Here's what the new law does
LOS ANGELES â Three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down tough state controls on concealed weapon licenses, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law an effort to limit the availability of "abnormally dangerous" guns in the state.
The law, AB 1594 by Assemblyman Phil Ting, requires manufacturers, distributors and dealers of guns and ammunition to abide by new state standards for the safety, marketing and sale of their products. Patterned after a similar law in New York, the measure empowers the state, local governments and individuals harmed by gun violence to sue companies that violate those standards.
The point is to impose the same sort of liability on the firearms industry that other manufacturers and retailers routinely face, said Tanya Schardt of the Brady gun-control advocacy group, which co-sponsored the bill with California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
"Right now, the gun industry is exclusively insulated from liability for dangerous, irresponsible or
