mr. speaker , i rise today in strong opposition to the `` protection of lawful commerce in arms act. '' this bill is an attempt to carve out an exclusive liability exemption , and its vote on the floor today is a giveback to the gun industry at a significant cost to the american people .  under this bill , manufacturers and sellers of firearms or ammunition will not be held accountable for even the most irresponsible distribution of weapons that kill innocent people , including police officers , children and bystanders of gang violence .  while the wholesale prohibition against lawsuits may allow several exemptions , these exclusions overhaul years of legal negligence standards .  i 'm concerned that this bill for the gun industry sets an impractical legal standard for even the most reasonable litigation .  in the washington-area , we are particularly sensitive to gun violence .  you may not all remember , but our nation was held captive for three weeks in october 2002 while two men systematically killed ten people and wounded three others with a sniper rifle obtained from an irresponsible gun dealer that `` lost '' over 200 other unaccounted for guns .  the language in this bill is so restrictive that survivors of the victims would not have had any legal recourse against the company whose negligent business practices led to the deaths of their family .  under the bill , we are eliminating a powerful incentive for gun dealers to value accountability and keep guns out of the wrong hands .  we are implicitly condoning their irresponsible behavior .  i understand the desire to protect the american judicial system from what some people perceive as frivolous lawsuits .  but gun manufacturers and sellers should not be able to write their own liability standard into law .  we are n't debating a product that has an inconsequential impact on our nation .  almost 30 , 000 people in our country die from firearm injuries , murders , and suicides each year .  according to the national center for injury prevention and control , as recently as 2002 , 2 , 893 young people were murdered by firearms .  that accounts for the second leading cause of death for young people under 19 in the united states .  our economy even suffers from this senseless violence .  from the loss of productivity , medical treatment and rehabilitation and legal costs , gun violence costs the u.s. at least $ 100 billion annually .  instead of putting forth a national plan to end this futile cycle of death , extending the ban on assault weapons , or even prohibiting people we know are on our own terrorist list from obtaining weapons , we are debating how to best shield the gun industry from accountability and responsibility .  mr. speaker , it is unfortunate today that we are sending the wrong message to gun manufacturers and the worst of all possible messages to the public : we are not willing to put special interests aside to protect the american people .  