At 05:49 PM 8/27/97 -0700, Kent Crispinu wrote:
On Wed, Aug 27, 1997 at 12:49:42PM -0400, Sean Roach wrote:
At 11:55 PM 8/26/97 -0700, Kent Crispin wrote: [...]
Pretty soon every revolver will have a warning label. "Warning, misuse of this tool can result in injury and death. By handling this item you consent to bear all legal responsibility reguarding its use." Never mind that such should be implied.
Product liability issues are more prominent when something doesn't function as it is supposed to -- say you are trying to defend yourself against a thief, and the gun blows up in your face. This is not the same as assuming legal liability for when you shoot someone.
Arguably, even then you should not be able to sue -- the small aircraft industry has been decimated by product liability issues. And I remember when Chouinard went out of the climbing equipment business because of threat of lawsuits.
My understanding is that warning labels -- even signed liability releases -- are of limited use in these cases, because, while you can sign a binding contract that limits your ability to sue, you cannot so bind your survivors.
I wasn't referring to when the things work improperly. I was referring to cases specifically like the lawsuit brought against the makers of the TEC-9 because some idiot used one on an office building full of people and it had the odassity to work.
At 10:09 PM -0700 8/27/97, Lucky Green wrote:
At 11:37 PM 8/27/97 -0400, Sean Roach wrote:
I wasn't referring to when the things work improperly. I was referring to cases specifically like the lawsuit brought against the makers of the TEC-9 because some idiot used one on an office building full of people and it had the odassity to work.
Actually, it didn't work. The TEC-9 is such a lousy gun, it jammed immediately. The killer dispatched all his victim with his backup 45. Not that the pro-victimization lobby would care much about the facts.
Are you sure about this, Lucky? I've fired a Tec-9 at the range, and if functioned OK...just a standard, stamped-metal, 9 that fires from an open bolt. Any jams, if they occurred, could be cleared easily, probably faster than a shooter could drop it and replace it with his sidearm. And just which case are you guys both apparently talking about (without actually saying so). The Market Street shooting in SF a few years ago? I recall hearing that the shooter's victims were suing the gun makers, the gun stores, the building owners, the city of San Francisco, and probably the Sanitation Department. Emotional loss can make people do all sorts of wrong things. But their suits should have been dismissed immediately, on a matter of law. Was it? I never heard the outcome. If they won, then the courthouse in which this happened should be McVeighed. --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!" ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."
At 11:37 PM 8/27/97 -0400, Sean Roach wrote:
I wasn't referring to when the things work improperly. I was referring to cases specifically like the lawsuit brought against the makers of the TEC-9 because some idiot used one on an office building full of people and it had the odassity to work.
Actually, it didn't work. The TEC-9 is such a lousy gun, it jammed immediately. The killer dispatched all his victim with his backup 45. Not that the pro-victimization lobby would care much about the facts. --Lucky Green <shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred. DES is dead! Please join in breaking RC5-56. http://rc5.distributed.net/
participants (3)
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Lucky Green -
Sean Roach -
Tim May