Members of the state Senate are considering a bill that would allow victims of gun violence to sue gun dealers and gun manufacturers.
"I'm going to say something very surprising about this bill: I agree with the gun lobby."
That's Delegate Dan Helmer, a Democrat from Northern Virginia.
"We ought to treat firearms like any other product or good."
Helmer pointed to comments from gun rights enthusiasts that firearms should be treated like a wallet or an iPhone or a purse.
"If you are a dealer or a manufacturer and you do something that makes your product dangerous to the public and results in someone being injured or killed, it gives recourse to the victim," Helmer says.
And that means the potential for lawsuits. This week, his bill creating standards of responsible conduct was approved by a Senate panel. Patricia Webb at the gun rights group Virginia Citizens Defense League says the bill will destroy Virginia's firearm industry.
"It would put the 1,900 gun dealers in Virginia out of business, and I've already heard from several manufacturers based here in Virginia they're looking for land in other states where they can move their businesses to," Webb says. "I urge you to not to support this bill; it should go down in flames."
Helmer's bill will be considered on the Senate floor later this week.
