Dianne Feinstein: “This letter of opposition details the case that Senator Kennedy mentioned, involving two law enforcement officers from…”

“This letter of opposition details the case that Senator Kennedy mentioned, involving two law enforcement officers from Orange, NJ, and points out that that case would have been thrown out of court. It is signed by numerous chiefs of police and major law enforcement entities. The American Bar Association states in their letter of opposition: S. 397 would preempt State substantive legal standards for most negligence and product liability actions for this one industry, abrogating State law in cases in which the defendant is a gun manufacturer, gun seller, or gun trade association, and would insulate this new class of protected defendants from almost all ordinary civil liability actions. It goes on to say: There is no evidence that Federal legislation is needed or justified. There is no hearing record in Congress or other evidence to contradict the fact that the State courts are handling their responsibilities competently in this area of the law. So all those people who believe in States rights are taking States rights away for the National Rifle Association. The American Bar Association also says: There is no data of any kind to support claims made by the industry that it is incurring extraordinary costs due to litigation, that it faces a significant number of suits, or that current State law is in any way inadequate. The Senate has not examined the underlying claims of the industry about State tort cases, choosing not to hold a single hearing on S.…”