Gun Lawsuit Sparks Debate At Capitol

By John Christoffersen

Associated Press

HARTFORD - Bridgeport city officials say the recent spate of lawsuits against gun makers are designed to make the industry safer and more accountable.

But gun control opponents say the real plan is to bankrupt the gun makers.

The two sides squared off Tuesday in a debate on the issue sponsored by the Federalist Society, a group of conservative and libertarian lawyers and others.

Bridgeport and other cities around the country are suing gun makers, seeking to recover the costs of firearms-related deaths and to force the manufacturers to adopt safety measures such as gunlocks.

'Why shouldn't we employ technology to make guns safer?' Robert DeCrescenzo, a lawyer representing Bridgeport, asked.

Mr DeCrescenzo, the former mayor of East Hartford, and Gregory D'Auria, assistant attorney general for the state, squared off against Yale University law Professor John Lott and Ralph Sherman, the chairman of Gunsafe, a gun rights group.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim were scheduled to participate but were called to Washington on gun control matters, organizers said.

Lott, who claims to have researched the effects of gun control laws, said the lawsuits actually drive up the cost of weapons. That makes it difficult for poor people '" who are most vulnerable to crime '" to defend themselves, he said.

'My belief is that these suits are going to cost lives,' Lott said.

Mr DeCrescenzo said he did not see the benefits of weapons in Bridgeport, where 412 people were killed by firearms in the past decade.

Lott countered that when people successfully defend themselves with guns but cause no injuries, the incidents receive little attention.

The debate sparked passionate comments from audience members, many of whom favored gun ownership.

'This is what makes a gun safer,' said Christopher Torino, flexing his trigger finger. 'I'm a law-abiding citizen of the United States, not Zimbabwe.'

So far, the cities have had mixed success in the courts. Judges dismissed suits filed by Bridgeport and Cincinnati, but other judges have allowed suits filed by Atlanta and Chicago to proceed.

The Bridgeport decision is being appealed, Mr DeCrescenzo said.