The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear an industry challenge to a New York law that allows lawsuits against gun manufacturers, wholesalers, and dealers for harms linked to the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearms and ammunition. The case centers on a lower-court decision that upheld the state’s ability to bring civil claims under the statute. Multiple outlets report that the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade group for the firearms industry, sought Supreme Court review along with companies including Smith & Wesson and Ruger. The justices do not take the case, effectively leaving the lower-court ruling in place.
Under the New York law described in the reporting, plaintiffs can pursue claims based on injuries or safety harms resulting from misuse by third parties, with the statute framed around harms arising from “criminal or unlawful” use. The Supreme Court’s action is a procedural refusal to hear the appeal, not a merits decision on the law’s constitutionality. As a result, the legal question remains resolved for now at the lower-court level for the challenged statute.
