Hillary Clinton Targets Gun Industry Immunity In Common Sense Reform Package

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton announced her plan to tackle gun violence with an agenda that would end gun industry immunity from prosecution.

According to a fact sheet from the Clinton campaign:

The NRA lobbied Congress to pass the so-called “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,” a dangerous law which prevents victims of gun violence from holding negligent manufacturers and dealers accountable for violence perpetrated with their guns. It is past time to repeal this law and hold the gun industry accountable just like everyone else. Clinton voted against this law in 2005 and will lead the charge to repeal it as president.

During her town hall in New Hampshire, Clinton said, “I am determined to do something about it, and I will try in every way I can to get those guns out of the hands of people who should not have them.”

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

Going against what had been a theme of the Democratic primary campaign, Hillary Clinton had her plan to combat gun violence out before Sen. Sanders released his.

Both the Clinton and Sanders plans contain good ideas; each plan contains ideas that have had partisan appeal in the past. Neither plan would take guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens.

The two top Democratic frontrunners are not interested in taking guns away from anyone except people who should not have easy access to weapons. If you are a criminal or a dangerous individual with mental health issues, guns should not be easy to obtain.

The part of Clinton’s plan that could be a game-changer is the idea of ending immunity for gun manufacturers. If those who make the weapons could be prosecuted, then they would be forced to change their behavior.

The common sense reforms that are being proposed by the Democratic candidates won’t pass today or tomorrow, but the mass shootings have to end, and eventually the public will want action.

Hillary Clinton has shown that she is ready to act.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association