Saturday, January 14, 2012

Why I am an NRA member despite some misgivings

Stories like this one from the legal blog The Volokh Conspiracy: "Felon Steals Gun, Accidentally Kills Himself, Estate Sues Owner and Gun Manufacturer".

Yes the plaintiff here was the deceased felon's estate who wanted to sue the arms-maker Glock for not designing a safer storage box for their pistols and the owner of the Glock pistol which the deceased felon stole and then shot himself with. And they may well have done so except that the National Rifle Association's brainchild  The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005 required that the Masshole courts decline to allow such lawsuits to proceed.

Many of my libertarian friends are often telling me that the NRA while good on RTKBA issues represses freedom in other areas and is stupidly, blindly, pro-war and pro-cop. I agree that it usually is, but in this instance it kept a decent if misguided person from being sued and the Glock firearms company from having to defend an expensive lawsuit leading to potentially ruinous claims for damages. So, like them or not the NRA can be "useful idiots" on occasion. Occasions like this for example.