Supreme Court Refuses to Overturn New York Law Holding Gunmakers Liable
TL/DR –
The US Supreme Court has upheld a New York law that paves the legal way for gun manufacturers to be held accountable for harm caused by their weapons. The 2021 law allows for various state legal claims against gun manufacturers, including claims of conduct that allegedly endanger the public health of New Yorkers. The challenge to the law was initially brought by several gun manufacturers, including Glock and Smith & Wesson, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Supreme Court Upholds New York Law for Gunmakers’ Liability
On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to a New York law setting a legal framework for holding gunmakers accountable for harm caused by their weapons. This law, enacted in 2021, now stays in effect, allowing legal claims against gun manufacturers under state law, including alleged conduct endangering New Yorkers’ public health.
The law was designed to bypass the 2005 federal law, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which offered a liability shield for gun manufacturers. Despite the court’s decision not to intervene now, this law could still face future legal challenges.
The court’s conservative majority, usually supportive of gun rights, cited the same federal law last year to dismiss a lawsuit raised by the Mexican government against gun manufacturers. This time, however, the legal challenge came from various gunmakers, including Glock and Smith & Wesson, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Lawyers for the gunmakers argue that the state statute exploits a loophole in the federal law that permits lawsuits when a defendant has “knowingly violated” a law related to firearm sales or marketing, causing direct harm to a plaintiff. They assert this would render the 2005 federal law meaningless if the New York law were allowed to persist.
However, a federal judge in New York, along with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled against the gunmakers in a July 2025 ruling. New York’s Democrat Attorney General, Letitia James, urged the court not to consider the case, stating the federal law does allow for gun industry members to be held liable for downstream acts of third parties under certain circumstances.
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