Here's some good news for anyone in the firearm business: Kentucky just told the anti-gun crowd to take a hike.
The Kentucky legislature overwhelmingly voted to override Governor Andy Beshear's veto of HB 78, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Clarification Act. The House voted 80-19 and the Senate voted 31-6 to override - that's not even close. This new law gives firearm manufacturers and retailers like me real legal protection against the kind of frivolous lawsuits that anti-gun activists have been using to wage war on our industry.
Let me break this down: the federal PLCAA already protects us from being sued when some criminal misuses a firearm we lawfully sold. But some anti-gun states have been trying to circumvent that federal protection through clever lawsuits. They're using what I call "lawfare" - using the courts to accomplish through litigation what they can't get through legislation. It's a dirty trick, and it's aimed at bankrupting the firearm industry.
Governor Beshear admitted in his veto message that criminals, not firearm companies, are responsible for crimes. But he still vetoed this common-sense protection. That's because he chose to side with anti-gun special interest groups who want to bury us in legal fees until we go out of business. That's not justice - that's persecution.
The NSSF got it right when they said our industry is no more responsible for criminal acts than bourbon distilleries are for drunk driving. We follow the law. We run background checks. We don't sell to criminals. When some nut job commits a crime, that's on them - not us.
Kentucky's legislators understand this. They stood with the rule of law and said enough is enough. This veto override is a victory for every gun shop owner in America who's tired of being treated like the enemy by anti-gun politicians.