Thursday, March 14, 2019

Remington steel

I was originally going to post something that was light-hearted this evening. Something I did that I haven't done in probably thirty or more years. But the world is in an ever devolving state and the news changed my mind.

A court ruled today that the gun maker Remington is liable for the deaths in the Sandy Hook shooting. They determined due to the way the gun (the AR-15) was marketed, they now became liable and can be sued by the victims. In the ruling Connecticut's highest court said Remington violated state law due to the product being marketed as a militaristic weapon.

This ruling completely ignores the fact that the individual who broke uncounted laws simply isn't really responsible for his actions because someone else told him to do it. It also opens the door for so many lawsuits to companies for other things because the perpetrator of any crime is now not responsible.

For instance right off the top of my head: video game manufacturers for any game involving a gun to shoot people; any automaker for marketing their ads for vehicles as fun and carefree (why bother with rules of the road)? When someone dies in an auto accident, Ford or GM or any other is now liable; the producers of any violent movie or television show that shows murder... get my drift here?

You can't stop people from doing stupid things with legitimate products. It's not Tide's fault stupid people die from eating laundry detergent. Likewise, it isn't the fault of Remington that a mentally unstable person used their product illegally. Repeat...illegally. If the product had been different but the damage the same would the company who made it be liable as well? What if the product was a knife? Is that now the knife manufacturer's fault?

Believe me, I feel horrible that such a tragedy took place in this country. It is a different world we live in. I would be just as grief stricken as a parent and grandparent if it were my grandchild. The difference is I know where to place the blame.

*edit*
I am amending this to note that this author is not a gun owner, however I respect the rights of gun owners as granted them by the Constitution.

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