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 .  