Gun rights group seeks to shift liability in mass shootings

Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb (Photo: Jared Morgan)

A gun rights group on Monday called for liability in mass shootings to be shifted to the entity or person who created a gun-free zone on which the incident occurred.

The Second Amendment Foundation released its report on resolutions adopted at its September policy conference in Phoenix, Arizona, where the gun rights group reaffirmed its belief that that prohibiting guns in specific areas makes them vulnerable to mass shootings.

The SAF also voted to unify support of urban and rural gun ownership, going as far as to put in writing its undeniable support of a measure in Utah correcting language to the 1934 National Firearms Act and 1968 Gun Control Act defining suitable firearms as those “particularly suitable for sporting purposes,” where self-defense isn’t mentioned.

The bill, H.R. 2710 – also supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Rifle Association – would further protect large caliber rifles and shotguns from the classification of “destructive devices” under the NFA and would prevent the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from from being able to reclassify ammunition to “armor piercing.”

A recent scare over the potential ban of green tip rounds for all but military and law enforcement use caused panicked purchasing in the civilian community, in turn increasing the ammunition’s value significantly.

The argument was over whether that type of round, used in AR platform rifles, was suitable for sporting use. ARs have become increasingly popular in hunting.              

The committee also urged lawmakers to pass legislation protecting businesses and organizations that don’t post signs banning guns and called for gun owners to practice their Second Amendment rights and “joyously act in what an outsider might describe as ‘irrational self-reliance.’”