http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/1010-146.html

Gun Executive Says Brady Center Misled Media on Lawsuits
U.S. Newswire
10 Oct 15:31
Gun Executive Says Brady Center Misled Media on Status of Lawsuits
Against Firearms Manufacturers
To: National Desk
Contact: Lawrence G. Keane of the National Shooting Sports
Foundation, 203-426-1320
Web: http://www.nssf.org

NEWTOWN, Conn., Oct. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ — Dennis Henigan,
director of the Brady Center to Prevent Handgun Violence’s Legal
Action Project, seriously misled media and the public with his
comments following yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision
declining to revive a lawsuit by the City of New Orleans against
firearms manufacturers, according to Robert T. Delfay, president
and chief executive officer of the National Shooting Sports
Foundation.

Commenting on the status of nearly 30 lawsuits filed against the
firearms industry, Henigan stated, “You have cases going both ways.
It’s pretty much split down the middle.” But Delfay took sharp
exception to Henigan’s assessment. “These comments by Mr. Henigan
totally misrepresent the true status of the municipal litigation
against the firearms industry,” Delfay said. “There have been 18
suits decided so far and 17 have been fully or partially dismissed
in favor of firearms manufacturers. That’s not pretty much split
down the middle.

“Further, what Mr. Henigan failed to tell reporters was that
every appellate decision so far rendered in these cases, including
decisions by the supreme courts of Louisiana and Connecticut and
now the United States Supreme Court, has ruled in favor of the
firearms industry. In addition, the highest courts in New York and
California both recently ruled in favor of firearms manufacturers
in private lawsuits that sought to hold firearms manufacturers
responsible for criminal violence committed with firearms.

“By far, the consensus by judges reviewing these cases is that
there is no basis in law to hold the manufacturer of a legally
sold, non-defective product responsible for the criminal misuse of
that product. The attempt by nearly 30 municipalities to do so is
totally political and distasteful, as is Mr. Henigan’s
misrepresentation of the status of these lawsuits,” Delfay said.

“We can understand Mr. Henigan’s extreme disappointment at the
resounding rejection of his politically motivated and harassing
lawsuits against the firearms industry, but that disappointment is
no excuse for his misleading statements regarding the status of
these lawsuits. Mr. Henigan owes an apology to the nation’s news
media as well as to those citizens whose tax dollars have been
wasted in the pursuit of this frivolous and ill-conceived
litigation,” Delfay concluded.

—
Note to Editors: Attached is a factual summary of the municipal
firearms litigation against firearms manufacturers prepared by the
National Shooting Sports Foundation on October 9, 2001.

—
MUNICIPAL FIREARMS LITIGATION

I. Cases In Which A Motion To Dismiss Was Granted In Whole or In
Part

New Orleans — upheld on appeal by Louisiana Supreme Court and
now by U.S. Supreme Court
Chicago — on appeal
Atlanta — on appeal
Bridgeport — dismissal upheld by Connecticut Supreme Court
Miami-Dade County — dismissal upheld by appellate court
Detroit — on appeal
Wayne County — on appeal
Cincinnati — dismissal upheld by appellate court
City of Los Angles
San Francisco
Boston
Camden County, NJ — on appeal
Los Angeles County
Gary, IN — on appeal
Wilmington, DE
Philadelphia — on appeal
New York State — on appeal

II. Cases In Which A Motion To Dismiss Was Denied

Cleveland

III. Cases In Which A Motion To Dismiss Is Pending

St. Louis
Newark, NJ
Camden City, NJ
Washington, DC

IV. Cases In Which A Motion To Dismiss Has Not Yet Been Filed

New York City

Summary prepared by Lawrence G. Keane, vice-president and
general counsel, National Shooting Sports Foundation, 11 Mile Hill
Road, Newtown, CT 06470, 203-426-1320.

——
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, with over 1,900
members, is the firearms industry’s largest and most diverse trade
association.

This release is also available in the Press Room section of the
NSSF.org Web site.

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