mr. speaker , let me mention that the gentleman from maryland ( mr. van hollen ) xz4004150 has a long and prominent history in knowing the laws of this nation in his earlier life , and as well rendering them in the proper manner . 
and i want to follow the comments that you made about the amendments offered in the committee , and as well make mention of the fact of the kind of complete reckless , if you will , lacking of sensitivity , to putting forward real balanced legislation . 
in our dissenting views , the democrats of this committee mentioned courts around the country , and by the way , there are views about gun safety across the aisle . 
but courts around the country have recognized that precisely the types of cases that would be barred by this bill are grounded in well-accepted legal principles , including negligence , products liability and public nuisance . 
these courts have held that those who make and sell guns , like all others in society , are obligated to use reasonable care in selling and designing their products and that they may be liable for foreseeable injurious consequences . 
the courts have answered this question . 
they have rejected frivolous lawsuits . 
and those that have merit they have accepted . 
i offered an amendment that would exempt from the scope of the bill any lawsuit brought by a plaintiff who was harmed as a result of an unlawful transfer of a machine gun , semi-automatic assault weapon , or large-capacity ammunition feeding device . 
these particular arms , illegal . 
and therefore the manufacturer does have some liability in it . 
and this latest offering of the bill , the gentlewoman from california ( ms. zoe lofgren ) xz4002450 and myself offered a bill that would exempt law enforcement officers . 
this bill does not even exempt law enforcement officers . 
and even in this climate of homeland security , it is well known that our first responders need to be protected by the reckless use of machine guns and ak-47s . 
and this legislation turns a blind eye to reality . 
it turns a blind eye to the shooting of children . 
it turns a blind eye to the sniper in washington , to the philadelphia mother . 
i ask my colleagues to vote against this legislation . 
this is not the second amendment . 
this is the nra free legislation . 
