California lawmakers target gunmakers, ghost guns in bills

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers have advanced a measure that would make it easier to skirt a federal law in order to sue gun-makers. Opponents say the legislation that cleared its first committee Tuesday is ultimately aimed at driving manufacturers out of business. Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting said his legislation would make it easier to sue gun-makers or dealers for liability in shootings that cause deaths or injuries. Federal law blocks most of those types of lawsuits against the gun industry. But New York last year enacted the nation’s first law opening up gun-makers to lawsuits. Ting’s bill would require firearm makers and dealers to “take reasonable precautions.”