Lawrence Keane, vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), said of the verdict, "We welcome the advisory jury`s common sense finding that the manufacturers and distributors of firearms are not responsible for the criminal misuse of their products." Keane continued, "This victory demonstrates the claims made by the NAACP and others are baseless and entirely without merit and proves the firearm industry is a highly-regulated and law-abiding industry."
The jury verdict, however, does not bring an official close to this case. The presiding judge, Jack B. Weinstein, who has a history of judicial activism penalizing the gun industry, will use the jury`s decision only in an advisory capacity. The jury`s decision can be accepted or rejected in whole or part by Weinstein in the next 30 days.