States' top cops gang up on Letitia James in crusade with potential nationwide consequences
FIRST ON FOX: Two dozen Republican state attorneys general are backing gun manufacturers in legal battles in New York, including in one case directly challenging New York Attorney General Letitia...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: Two dozen Republican state attorneys general are backing gun manufacturers in legal battles in New York , including in one case directly challenging New York Attorney General Letitia James’ role in attempting to expand liability against the manufacturers. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the states in filing amicus briefs Monday in lawsuits brought by Buffalo and Rochester, as well as one brought against James' office, all of which center on New York’s effort to hold gun makers and sellers accountable for gun violence under a state public nuisance law. The AGs argued New York was infringing on a federal law that protects the firearms industry from liability and that the cases carry national implications. "These cases go far beyond New York," Knudsen told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. "This is not just a New York thing by any stretch of the imagination. … It affects all of us." Knudsen said blue states and liberal gun control advocates have repeatedly attempted to "get around" federal law and "go after and bankrupt firearms companies." TRUMP ADMIN MAKES NEW CRIMINAL REFERRALS TO DOJ TARGETING NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES The lawsuits focus on the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which is designed to shield gun makers and sellers from liability when their products are used in crimes. The Republican attorneys general argued in one of the amicus briefs that New York was attempting to sidestep that law with a "vague nuisance statute that specifically targets the firearms industry." Knudsen sharply criticized James, who is named in one of the cases, accusing her of pushing an activist agenda while disregarding the PLCAA. "This is an attorney general who should know better," Knudsen said. "We should be able to read case law and follow it, but she doesn't seem to want to do that. Instead, she wants to be an activist. She wants to blame what I would say is probably the most legally regulated industry in America for the poor p…