The National Rifle Association praised the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal today to hear an appeal in the case of Ileto v. Glock. The lower courts' decisions in the case were among the first to use the NRA-backed Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act as the basis for dismissing a reckless “public nuisance” lawsuit against firearm manufacturers and distributors. This decision concludes eight years of litigation in the case.
The suit sought to blame firearms manufacturers and dealers for the horrendous criminal actions of deranged white supremacist Buford Furrow. In 1999, Furrow killed postal worker Joseph Ileto and wounded three children at a Jewish Community Center in Grenada Hills, California, after illegally acquiring firearms.
“This is the right decision. Greedy trial lawyers and the gun control lobby concocted these bogus lawsuits as a means of destroying the Second Amendment through bankrupting the American firearms industry. Thanks to this law, firearms manufacturers and dealers cannot be held responsible for the acts of heinous criminals,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director, NRA Institute for Legislative Action.