mr. speaker , i rise in strong opposition to s. 397 , the gun manufacturers liability protection act . 
shielding gun manufacturers , dealers and distributors from liability is one of the most egregious forms of corporate welfare we 've considered in this house all year . 
this is george orwell legislation at its finest -- all industries are equal , but some are more equal than others . 
if you sell beer to a 17-year-old and he causes an accident , you can be held liable . 
but if you allow a 17-year-old to walk out of your store with a high powered rifle , do n't worry . 
congress has your back . 
mr. speaker , this is not a hypothetical case . 
last year the families of dc sniper victims settled for $ 2.5 million with bull 's eye shooter supply and bushmaster firearms , because bull 's eye allowed lee boyd malvo to shoplift a military quality rifle -- one of 233 guns they could not account for when investigated by the atf . 
some of my colleagues call this a frivolous lawsuit . 
i do n't think there is anything frivolous about 233 missing guns . 
in july of this year we gift wrapped a provision in the medical malpractice bill that shielded the pharmaceutical industry from liability on any drug that made it through the regular fda approval process . 
coincidentally , merck pharmaceuticals was at the same time facing multiple lawsuits tied to its misrepresentation of the dangers of the prescription drug vioxx . 
thanks to this congress , americans can continue to exercise their constitutional right to seek redress in the court system , unless it involves guns or drugs . 
i am gratified to see that this bill does include certain common-sense provisions such as child safety locks and a ban on armor-piercing bullets . 
we fought hard for these ideas in the clinton administration and i urge my colleagues to resist any pressure to have them removed . 
despite my support for these ideas i must vote no on the overall bill . 
mr. speaker , this bill denies americans one of their most basic rights in order to provide special protections for a very special interest . 
i urge my colleagues to resist the gun lobby and defeat this bill . 
