New York Democrat Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday praised California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent move to allow residents to sue gunmakers, saying New York should follow his lead.
Appearing on ABC's "The View," James discussed Newsom's plans, announced Saturday, to model a law after Texas' controversial law that allows average Texans to sue anyone who performs or assists a woman in getting an abortion in the state.
Newsom's move came one day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Texas' law could remain in place while it works its way through the legal system. Similar to Texas' law, private citizens in California could sue manufacturers, sellers, or distributors of "assault-style" weapons or ghost gun kits for at least $10,000 per violation.
"I am outraged by [Friday's] U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing Texas' ban on most abortion services to remain in place," Newsom said Saturday. "If states can now shield their laws from review by the federal courts that compare assault weapons to Swiss Army knives, then California will use that authority to protect people's lives, where Texas used it to put women in harm's way."
View co-host Sarah Haines asked James whether she would pursue such a law in New York. "Is it an effective legal strategy?"
"The answer is yes," James said. "When I heard about that, I said to my team, 'We need to follow his lead.' And the reason why that is, is because gun manufacturers and gun distributors in this country are immunized. No liability whatsoever.
"They are the only industry that is protected in this country, and given the carnage, and given the fact that this is the ninth anniversary of Sandy Hook, I am sick and tired of prayers and individuals whose hearts go out to all of those who have lost lives," she said. "We can do something about it."
When asked by guest host Amanda Carpenter whether she thought it was a good idea to have private citizens take part in either the Texas abortion law or Newsom's proposed gun law, James said she thought Newsom's plan could be an effective way to bypass what she called gun manufacturers' "immunization" and hold them accountable.
"We are reviewing it and talking to California, and so this is a first — yes," she said. "The Office of Attorney General Letitia James is looking at that model and I congratulate Gov. Newsom."
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