Fact check: Biden says the gun industry is the only one protected from lawsuits
In the wake of the deadly elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden repeated an inaccurate talking point in his push for gun control legislation, saying that gun manufacturers represent the "only industry" with liability immunity.
Posted — UpdatedIn the wake of the deadly elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden repeated an inaccurate talking point in his push for gun control legislation, saying that gun manufacturers represent the "only industry" with liability immunity.
"We should repeal the liability shield that often protects gun manufacturers from being sued for the death and destruction caused by their weapons," Biden wrote in a June 2 tweet. "They’re the only industry in the country that has this kind of immunity. It’s outrageous. It must end." He said the same thing in a speech about gun violence.
This isn’t the first time Biden has made this claim. He’s made it repeatedly, including April 2021 remarks about gun violence after a man went on a shooting rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area, killing eight, and another gunman killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. He said it again in his 2022 State of the Union address.
The gun industry is susceptible to some lawsuits, and there are federal laws restricting liability for a number of other types of businesses.
We reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back.
Gun industry protection
Supporters say the law protects gun dealers and manufacturers from frivolous and expensive proceedings, while opponents argue that the broadness of the law and its narrow exceptions stops some victims from having their day in court.
But this is different from saying the gun industry is immune to all lawsuits.
Not the only industry
Other industries have exemptions in liability.
"It’s not at all unique to the gun industry. It’s a version (of liability law) Congress developed for an industry that was under very heavy attack," Olson said, referring to the slew of litigation against gun sellers and makers that prompted Congress to pass the law.
PolitiFact ruling
Biden said that gun manufacturers represent the only industry in America that is exempt from being sued.
This isn’t accurate. The gun industry is not entirely exempt from being sued and is susceptible to some lawsuits. Further, there are federal laws that restrict liability for a variety of other business sectors.
We rate it False.
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