SAF Applauds Arizona Supreme Court Ruling in 'Pizza Hut' Murders Lawsuit

3/27/2003

From: Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation, 425-454-7012; web: http://www.saf.org

BELLEVUE, Wash., March 27 -- The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today applauded the decision by the Arizona Supreme Court upholding the dismissal of a lawsuit against the gun industry by the families of three murder victims in the infamous "Pizza Hut" case in Tucson.

Arizona justices, without comment, upheld an earlier state Court of Appeals decision that threw out the claims by survivors of the shooting victims that gun manufacturers were somehow responsible for the 1999 killings.

"This case was just one more attempt by anti-gun attorneys in the pursuit of headlines and their own political agenda to give false hope to the survivors of murder victims," said SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb. "We've seen over and over again that these lawsuits are losers. Courts consistently have agreed that gun makers cannot be held liable for the criminal acts of people who misuse their products.

"What is truly disturbing about such cases," he continued, "is that the plaintiffs in these lawsuits are victimized a second time by trial lawyers who realize they have no legitimate claim. Putting the families of murder victims through that kind of an emotional roller coaster ride is unconscionable."

Gottlieb noted that municipal lawsuits against the gun industry are just as deplorable, because not only have they resulted in crushed hopes for individual plaintiffs, they have also cost taxpayers a fortune; money that could be far better spent on more police, prosecutors and equipment.

"Greedy trial lawyers who continually file such frivolous cases are little more than charlatans masquerading as white knights," Gottlieb stated. "Time after time, in court after court, they have lost. They manage to cost the industry millions of dollars, while leaving their clients with nothing to show but a bill for their services.

"It's time for Congress to pass legislation that will put an end to these lawsuits," Gottlieb stated.

The Second Amendment Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers & an amicus brief & fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.