-Caveat Lector- http://www.newsmax.com Chicago Lawsuit Against Gun Makers Misfires NewsMax.com Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2000 A judge has thrown out Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s lawsuit against gun manufacturers charging them with flooding the city with handguns. Judge Stephen Schiller of Cook County Circuit Court told the city that stopping illegal gun sales should be responsibility of the police and the criminal courts. He said the city had failed to show that the gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers had knowingly drenched the city with illegal handguns. The judge ruled that Chicago has put too much stress on statistical data governing the sales of guns later used in crimes. He suggested that police and prosecutors could more aggressively pursue the problem of weapons sold in suburban gun shops, where law enforcement has been successful. According to Reuters news agency, "in four recent cases brought against suburban gun shop owners by the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, two were acquitted, one was found guilty, and one pleaded guilty. They were charged with making illegal sales to "straw" purchasers who clearly were reselling the weapons.” A shocked Daley promised to pursue the case. "We will appeal the ruling, of course. We will continue this fight because it's the right thing to do, because the majority of the public is on our side, and because it will save lives," the Chicago Democrat said. But the record shows that such lawsuits, obviously aimed at bankrupting the gun industry, are anything but certain winners. Out of 30 lawsuits filed by U.S. cities against the manufacturers, four have already been thrown out, and only five have survived initial challenges. Moreover, at least eight states have passed laws forbidding municipalities to sue gun makers. The Chicago lawsuit filed in 1998 was the second such case filed by a U.S. city. New Orleans was the first to file suit against the gun industry. None of the cases have come to trial. Chicago sought $433 million in damages to offset expenses run up by police, medical units and other agencies. Daley promised he would pursue the gun industry in the courts and push for "common-sense" gun laws. He said he failed to understand why the gun industry should not get the same legal treatment meted out to cigarette makers and tire makers. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
