Civil Procedure

NY Gun Suit Survives

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the city of New York that claims 15 out-of-state gun sellers engage in retail practices that lead to illegal gun use.

U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein of Brooklyn rejected defendants’ argument that the court did not have personal jurisdiction to hear the suit, the New York Law Journal reports.

Weinstein’s 100-page opinion (PDF) cited statistics supporting the city’s claim that the defendants de facto serve the New York market. The city has demonstrated that the defendants have likely been responsible “for the funneling into New York of large quantities of handguns used by local criminals to terrorize significant portions of the city’s population,” he wrote.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a statement calling the ruling “a significant victory in the city’s campaign against illegal guns.”

Give us feedback, share a story tip or update, or report an error.