Reckless Lawsuit Preemption Bill Gaining Support in House

H.R. 2037—the bill introduced by U.S. Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Chris John (D-La.) that would shield the firearm industry from politically-motivated lawsuits seeking to hold gun makers liable for the criminal misuse of their products—continues to make headway in the U.S. House of Representatives. A hearing on H.R. 2037 has been scheduled for next Thursday, April 18, at 9:30 a.m. in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building, and the bill now has 221 co-sponsors—three more than a straight majority of the House, which should help to ensure passage of this critical legislative remedy to the anti-gun lobby’s flagrant abuse of our legal system if the bill reaches the House floor.

But even the fact that the bill has 221 co-sponsors does not guarantee passage of this critical reform, so the more supporters we can enlist, the better the chance will be for this bill becoming law. The following nine House members are considered possible co-sponsors, and NRA members in their states are urged to contact them and request their support: Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa), Nathan Deal (R-Ga.), Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.), Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), Dan Miller (R-Fla.), Thomas Petri (R-Wisc.), Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), Nick Smith (R-Mich.), and Jerry Weller (R-Ill.). To find contact information for these lawmakers, use our "Write Your Reps" tool.

And if you need another reason to contact these lawmakers, the gun-ban lobby formerly known as HCI is trying to counter NRA’s campaign promoting H.R. 2037. Shortly after NRA began targeting a handful of specific lawmakers as potential co-sponsors, the anti-gun extremists at HCI sent out their own e-mail alert targeting the very same lawmakers on NRA’s list. Their message is to "call your Representative today and urge them [sic] to oppose H.R. 2037." So far, six of the 18 Representatives on our target list have rejected the gun-ban lobby’s push, and have signed on to support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms by co-sponsoring H.R. 2037. Let’s keep adding to the loss column of the gun-ban lobby by urging the nine lawmakers listed above to co-sponsor H.R. 2037.

Finally, U.S. Senators Zell Miller (D-Ga.) and Larry Craig (R-Iowa) are expected to introduce the Senate version of H.R. 2037 next week. Be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to sign on as co-sponsors, once the bill is introduced. You can reach your U.S. Senators by calling (202) 224-3121, but to find additional contact information for them, use our "Write Your Reps" tool.