CHICAGO, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Gun owner's rights groups are applauding the Illinois Supreme Court for dismissing Chicago's $433 million lawsuit against gun manufacturers and dealers.
Two lawsuits, filed by the city and victims of gun violence in 1998, accused gun makers of manufacturing products that cause violent crime and costing law enforcement hundreds of millions of dollars.
Chicago and Cook County sought $433 million in damages to recover the cost of dealing with violent gun crime.
The Illinois State Rifle Association said Mayor Richard Daley's attempt to sue gun manufacturers was an expensive and divisive effort to run the nation's firearm makers out of business.
"Both the Illinois General Assembly and the Supreme Court have placed the blame for gun violence where the blame is due," said ISRA executive director Richard Pearson, "and that blame now rests squarely on the shoulders of the criminal element."
The Second Amendment Foundation called the high court decision a "victory for common sense over political demagoguery."
