Supreme Court Declines to Hear Gun Makers’ Challenge to New York Liability Law
The court declined to review a 2021 New York statute that permits lawsuits against gun makers for harm caused by third parties. The decision leaves the law in effect.
pakistantoday.com.pkU.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge by gun manufacturers to a New York law that allows lawsuits against firearms makers when harm is caused by third parties. The court’s decision not to intervene means the 2021 statute remains in effect.
The law permits various legal claims against gun manufacturers under state law, including alleged conduct that endangers the public health of New Yorkers. The statute was written to circumvent the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005, which created a liability shield for gun manufacturers.
Gun manufacturers’ lawyers argued the New York measure exploits a loophole in the federal law that allows suits when a defendant “knowingly violated” a law relating to the sale or marketing of a firearm and that violation directly caused harm.
The legal challenge was brought by Glock, Smith & Wesson, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. S. Circuit Court of Appeals reaching the same conclusion in a July 2025 ruling.
The law was immediately challenged in court after it was enacted in 2021. ” The article states the law could still face future legal challenges.
